


Arc of the Fallen

by PorterHawk



Category: RWBY
Genre: Alternate Universe - Angels & Demons, Angels, Angst, Bible, Biblical References, Demons, Drama, F/M, Fallen Angel Lucifer, Fallen Angels, Gen, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Remnant (RWBY), Self-Harm, War
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-31
Updated: 2019-09-24
Packaged: 2019-09-30 21:36:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 22
Words: 106,861
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17231627
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PorterHawk/pseuds/PorterHawk
Summary: Jaune has a secret he’s been keeping from everybody for months. Now that he’s been discovered will his friends still stay by his side? Being a fallen angel in Remnant has never been easy, and its about to get far more complicated.





	1. Halo

It was late afternoon at Beacon Academy. Most of the students were preparing for their final classes of the day, and a certain section of hallway was practically devoid of students. The key word being practically. Jaune hit the wall hard, dropping to his knees breathing heavily.   
  
“Was that all Jauney boy?” Cardin, the big armoured bully of Beacon, snickered menacingly. He cracked his knuckles with another dumb laugh. His teammates were there too, all chuckling at the blonde’s patheticness. Jaune didn’t protest. There was no point in fighting. Even if saving Cardin in the forest forced the bulky teen to leave his team alone, that hasn’t stopped him from attacking Jaune several more times. It didn’t matter though, as long as his team was safe. He’d take the beating like normal and be on his way-   
  
“Wait, what’s that?” Jaune perked up at the comment, feeling around his neck finding the top two buttons on his uniform had come off. He could feel the familiar metal band that was usually hidden under his clothing.   
  
“You wear jewelry too?” I didn’t know you were into THAT type of thing.” Cardin grabbed him by the metal loop around his neck, pulling him up so Jaune was practically choking. He punched the blonde hard in the face, one of the latches on his band coming loose. The punches force sent him to the wall again. His aura barely managed to block the impact before giving out. It still hadn’t recovered from combat class earlier, and now he was completely spent.   
  
“This thing is weird.” Cardin commented trying but failing to bend the dark metal. It was dented and scratched but round other then the latches holding the broken sections together. The blonde’s gutt dropped when he realised what was missing.   
  
“Give it back Cardin!” Jaune stood up breathing ragged. He couldn’t lose it. That loop was the only thing of his former life remaining!   
  
“Hmmm… How bout I drop it somewhere down the cliff side instead.” Cardin smirked, his cronies playing along with his suggestion.   
  
“I said GIVE IT BACK!” Jaune charged tackling Cardin in the stomach. The larger man managed to knee his gutt hard before slamming him to the floor. Fresh blood began dripping on the tiles, the new cut on Jaune’s face ruining the vision in his right eye. He kicked Cardin’s ankle sending him off balance. Scrambling to his feet Jaune lunged into the bullie’s legs bringing him to the floor and on his back.   
  
“Drop it now!” He shot up to Cardin’s face and started wailing on him. He got in five good hits before a kick to the face knocked him off. Sky had delivered a surprise attack giving his leader a chance to recover.   
  
“You’re dead meat Jauney boy!” The larger slammed his foot hard on Jaune’s chest, knocking the wind completely out of him and sending waves of pain up his back. He couldn’t hold back the agonised cry escaping his throat. Cardin leaned down being sure his victim got a good look at his face. “Now I really need to teach you a lesson-“   
  
“That’s enough!” Pyrrha rushed over staring at the bullies angrily. She was barely holding herself back. “You’ve taken this way too far! Back off.”   
  
“What? Now your teammates fight all the battles for you?” Cardin smiled. “You’ll always be too weak. Why don’t you just do your team a favor and drop out already?” Jaune was livid at this point, Cardin’s words holding no more meaning. All he could focus on was his necklace.   
  
“DROP IT!” He bit down on Cardin’s ankle hard, getting a genuine snarl of pain from the larger. He made to bring his other foot down on Jaune’s face, but a textbook to the burnett's head sent him staggering. Pyrrha was by Jaune’s side in a flash.   
  
“Are you alright?” She questioned. He barely acknowledge her presence, focusing back on the object Cardin held.   
  
“Give it back!” He snarled again. Pyrrha finally noticed the band in the larger teen’s grasp.   
  
“Did he take that from you?” She questioned before narrowing her eyes at team CRDL.   
  
“Mister Winchester!” Everyone went still as the sound of heals stormed into the hall. Professor Goodwitch stopped at seeing the damage. Out of all the places in this school to walk by she somehow managed to find them. “Fights between students are only meant for the arena. What is the meaning of this?” She cracked the riding whip in her hands, venomously glaring down Team CRDL.   
  
“We were minding our own business when Jauney here decided he wanted a second round after our sparring match today. Of course I was happy to oblige.” Both Jaune and Pyrrha knew it was a complete lie. Jaune managed to beat Cardin in their match earlier, which was probably why Cardin confronted him to begin with. Thankfully Goodwitch didn’t buy it either.   
  
“Lying will get you nowhere Mr. Winchester. I expected you and your team in my office after school for a weeks worth of detention.” Cardin’s cronies all groaned and even their leader looked pissed, but he recovered quickly.   
  
“Yes ma’am. We’ll be there.” Goodwitch nodded and the bullies turned to leave.   
  
“Wait!” Jaune snarled. Cardin turned around to see the blonde forcing himself to his feet, absolute murder in his eyes. The bully would have just smirked but Ms. Goodwitch’s eyes were still on him.   
  
“Sorry, I almost forgot. Here’s the jewelry you dropped. No need to be upset.” He half heartedly threw it at the blonde, but Pyrrha rushed forward to catch it before it hit the floor.   
  
“Stealing too, Mr. Winchester?” Goodwitch asked dangerously. “I think that earns you two weeks of detention. Do I make myself clear?” He stiffened and nodded at that, rushing off with his goons before more punishment could be given.   
  
“And Mr. Arc.” Jaune grimaced at the edge in her voice. That couldn’t be good. “Your not off the hook either. I did happen to see you attack unprovoked, not just in self defence. You will report to my office after school for detention as well, understood?”   
  
“... yes ma’am.” Jaune sighed. Glynda nodded and briskly walked off, leaving Pyrrha and Jaune in the hall by themselves.   
  
“Here.” Pyrrha handed him the band, Jaune taking it quickly.   
  
“Thanks.” Jaune said quietly. It just dawned on him that his teammate had to come to his rescue. His already low self esteem just took another blow.

“Are you alright?” She asked carefully. It was clear she wanted to ask about his metal band, but she chose to hold off on it for now. Jaune just sighed and nodded.   
  
“Yeah, I’m fine.”   
  
“Your still bleeding though.” Jaune brought a hand to his forehead, realising how bad the cut was. “You should probably go to the infirmary for that.” Pyrrha suggest but Jaune shook his head.   
  
“It will heal once my aura replenishes. I’ll just clean it up myself.” He headed off to the locker room holding the blood back with his sleeve. “Can you let Professor Port know I’ll be running late?”   
  
“Alright.” She nodded. “I’ll see you in a bit then.” Jaune waved and rushed to find a sink. God why did this always have to happen to him? He wasn’t going to throw himself a pity party or anything, but he honestly wished things would go his way for once in his life. Today had even started off fine too, he’d beat Cardin in sparring today, and he past Professor Oobleck’s history exam. Of course the jerk couldn’t let him have a good day. Of course he got humiliated in front of his partner. He just hoped detention would be over with quickly.   
  
XxxxxxxxxX   
  
Jaune didn’t bother going to dinner after detention. He couldn’t even bring himself to train with Pyrrha. The blonde sent her a brief message explaining his absence, walking into his empty dorm room with heavy steps. The others must still be out. That was fine though, he just wanted some alone time. He clumsily kicked off his dress shoes and threw his uniform jacket on his desk chair. He didn’t bother changing out of his undershirt or pants, he didn’t have the will or energy to keep standing right now really. Jaune fell face first on his mattress and groaned. His pride had taken a major blow and he just wanted today to end. He had homework to do, he needed to get changed for bed, but his eyelids were so heavy though. He could probably afford to shut them for a few minutes…   
  
XxxxxxxxxX   
  
_ Jaune was on top of a skyscraper overlooking Vale. It was nighttime and his face was being pelted by cold harsh winds, but what lit the city below made him freeze. Fires were raging all over the town and people were running around in a panic. The sounds of blood curdling screams and distant explosions echoed through his ears. People below were running away from both Grimm and other masked humans, many being slaughtered the moment they were caught. He could hardly process what was happening. When did the city fall? How did the Grimm get in? Where were all the huntsmen?! _ _   
_ _   
_ _ A familiar cry of agony jolted him to attention. That was Nora’s voice! He looked around frantically finally spotting her in a clearing. Her hammer was abandoned on the ground while she held something far more precious. Ren’s bloodied corpse was in her arms, and the screams were her crying out for her lost friend. Nora was so distraught she never saw the ursa coming. Jaune tried to warn her but no sound left his throat. His legs were glued in place and he could only watch in horror as her head was bitten clean off. _ _   
_ _   
_ _ He could feel hot tears running down his cheeks. How did this happen?! How could he fail so miserably?! _ _   
_ _   
_ _ “JAUNE!” He twisted his body seeing Pyrrha at the mercy of a dark assailant. She was being stabbed multiple times and her pained screams were now garbled by blood. He managed to break loose of the hold stopping him. Jaune rushed to her aid, but no matter how hard he ran the scene before him kept getting further away. _ _   
_ _   
_ _ Running wasn’t fast enough! _ _   
_ _   
_ _ He needed to go faster! _ _   
_ _   
_ _ He needed- _ __   
  
XxxxxxxxxX   
  
Jaune awoke with a gasp, a new but familiar weight on his back. Dark feathered wings were spread as far a they would go. They had completely ripped through his undershirt, and sent a few feathers in multiple directions. Quickly he glanced at his teammates with shaky breaths, they all still appeared to be fast asleep. He sighed gratefully bringing the wings close to his back. This was bad though, this was all sorts of bad. He had planned for this to potentially happen, though it’s the first time the wings have grown back since coming to Beacon. He supposed it was shear luck that he hasn’t needed to worry about them until now. The fact still remained, however. The other members of team JNPR couldn’t find out. He needed to get rid of them!   
  
Jaune grabbed the gardening shears under his bed, making for the window before noticing it starting to squeak. He forgot to oil the damn thing! If he opened it now the creaking might wake his teammates, and it was already four in the morning. He had to hurry!

 

He tucked his wings as close to his body as possible, throwing the bed sheet over his shoulders and rushing into the bathroom. He locked the door hoping he’d be done before everyone woke up. Quietly he crawled into the shower stall. He might actually be able to do this.   
  
Carefully he pulled the blanket off his shoulders and tried to stretch his wings into a better position. The shower was narrow, just about five feet in length and width. The changing area outside the shower provided a couple more feet of leeway, but it definitely wasn’t enough room to stretch each of his seven foot long wings. Lord why did they have to be so big? He inhaled deeply trying to psych himself up for this. Clipping them off was always agony, he hated having to do it, but the thought of being found out scared him more. Quickly he used the shears to cut loose his undershirt, cursing himself for not wearing the onesie. Scratchy thick fabric made his wings less likely to emerge in his sleep and the irritation to his stubs kept him from falling that deeply asleep. He remained conscious enough that he could wake up if he felt his wings regenerating.   
  
Jaune placed the blanket, torn shirt and sheets on the floor in the changing area, this next part was going to suck. He turned the shower on cold, hoping to numb his wings and back before amputating. It was certainly freezing, enough to make him gasp. He needed to do this, he didn’t have a choice.   
  
He wouldn’t give himself a choice.   
  
He sat on the shower floor waiting for the cold to numb everything. The icy water pelted his skin like needles, and his body soon began shivering violently begging him to warm up. He stood his ground though, and within twenty minutes he felt his back and wings were numb enough to continue. He turned the shower head so it was hitting the wall more then him but kept it on, hoping it would drown out any noises he possibly made.   
  
Jaune bundled up a swatch of his undershirt and placed it in his mouth, giving him something to bite on instead of screaming. He brought the clamps over his right shoulder. The blonde struggled initially to get the appendage between the shears but eventually he could vaguely feel the pinch of metal against his skin.   
  
Now for the hard part. He shut his eyes tightly, both hands around the large shears in anticipation. Oh Lord let this be a clean cut. He held his breath and did a brief countdown.   
  
There.   
  
Two.   
  
One.   
  
He squeezed the shears, muscle and bone snapping and tearing under the force. Tears were already pricking in his eyes and he could see blood dripping in the shower.   
  
Again, he needed to go again.   
  
He squeezed down a second time knowing he made it to the bone with that one. He was close, just one more cut.   
  
He held his breath again and bit down harder. With a grunt the scissor handles came together and a weight fell off his back. Gasping for air he leaned against the shower wall trying to recover a bit. Tears were freely flowing down his face now and it was a struggle swallowing down his pained screams. He was so out of practice. How could he be so clumsy?! If he has just oiled that window, or changed into his sleepwear last night this could have all been avoided.   
  
Shakily he grabbed the amputated wing and leaned it against the wall. The cold water on his muscles had definitely reduced bleeding, the keyword being reduced. He could still see bloody splotches on the floor and shower walls, and he feared what his back currently looked like. The fact that he had to stem aura flow from his back to make the cut easier didn’t help in the slightest. Loose feathers were already floating around the bathroom, and the realisation that he’d have to clean this up right afterwards finally set in. With a pained moan he tried to psych himself up for the next cut.   
  
“Jaune?” The teen went stock still. That was Ren’s voice. He’s not supposed to be awake for a few more hours! His teammate knocked on the door, not barging in but raping repeatedly. Jaune kept his mouth shut hoping the other would give up. He just needed to wait for Ren to leave.   
  
“A feather?” Jaune’s jaw went slack. He shed a feather outside the bathroom door. He’d been so panicked he forgot to check when he ran in. Ren remained completely silent for a moment, and Jaune could feel his attention focus on the bathroom door.   
  
“Jaune, is everything alright? You rushed in over an hour ago.” Has it really been an hour? Oh God this was bad. Ren knew he was in here and he could feel Ren’s energy becoming more anxious. His teammate was onto him.   
  
“M’fine.” Jaune said a little more weekly than intended. He forgot the cloth was still in his mouth, and it made him sound like a complete liar. Hurry, he needed to hurry! Clumsily his trembling hands tried bringing the garden shears over his shoulder, but his fingers were stiff from cold and panic. The shears dropped with a loud metallic clang.   
  
“What was that?” Ren asked. He was too suspicious to leave now.   
  
“Nothing!” He fumbled back for the shears but his elbow hit the amputated wing by mistake. It slid down the wall towards the door and sent loose feathers and blood particles everywhere. Unfortunately Ren heard the noise it made.   
  
“Jaune?! I’m coming in.” He kicked the door in before the blonde could protest. It was over. The jig was up.   
  
Ren’s eyes trailed down to his prone form on the floor, eyes widening in shock and then changing towards worry and confusion.   
  
Jaune knew it was a mess. He was too frantic to do a cleaner cutting job, and despite the water there was still blood all over the place. His attached wing was crammed against the shower wall and the other by Ren’s feet. He was still shaking from the cold and dripping tears from pain.   
  
“P-Please don’t freak out.” Jaune spit the cloth from his mouth and looked up to his friend desperately. “I know this looks bad, but I can explain.” Ren took a few moments to breath, his face remaining stoic though his eyes showed a definite hint of fear and suspicion. Other emotions were clearly conflicting but he made up his mind quickly.   
  
“... Alright.” Ren finally said. “But we’ll talk about this back in the room.” Jaune’s heartbeat doubled in speed, and he could feel himself panicking worse. Ren’s already seen his true form, but he didn’t want the girls to. He put a shaky hand back on the bloodied garden shears. Before he could pick them up Ren was at his side with a hand on his shoulder, zapping the stress and fear away with his semblance.   
  
“Don’t.” He said sternly. “We’ll talk about this first.” Jaune could only nod as the panic and fear began to ebb away into numbness. He released the shears and pulled his remaining wing over his shoulder like a shaw. Ren turned the water off and placed the sheet around Jaune’s shoulders, removing his own t-shirt and wrapping the garden shears in it. The wing and bloody feathers were left on the floor for now. Ren offered his hand to help Jaune up, but the teen didn’t notice initially.   
  
“Come on. Everyone will be waking up soon.” Ren reached out and grabbed Jaune’s hand himself, pulling his trembling form upright and leading him out of the bathroom.   
  
“Ren…?” Pyrrha asked trying to stifle a yawn. She had just woken up and her voice clearly showed it. Her tiredness didn’t last long upon seeing the blood and feathers stuck to the two boys. “Jaune?!” She rushed to his side relieving Ren of the shaken blonde. She led him to his bed and sat him down promptly, trying and failing to get a response from him. He couldn't look her in the eyes. He couldn’t look at any of them. The fear and shame was starting to flood back again but Pyrrha just rubbed his sore back comfortingly. Her hand paused when she felt moisture and an extra lump under the sheet.   
  
“What’s this?” She asked confused. She looked to Ren questioningly, though he didn’t answer right away.   
  
“What’s going on?” Nora stretched her arms and yawned loudly, clearly annoyed at her sleep being interrupted.   
  
“... I’ll make up some tea.” Ren finally said passing the shirt wrap to Nora. “Keep that away from him while I’m gone.” He turned to the door and walked out, passing Blake in the hallway while he closed the door behind him. The cat Faunus grabbed a black feather that was stuck on Ren’s pants, turning to the rest of JNPR questioningly before the door shut. Even she couldn’t hide her curiosity. Would she ask Ren what was going on? Surly she knew something was up.   
  
Nora looked down at the fabric bundle in her arms, unwrapping Ren’s shirt revealing the bloody shears inside. She shuddered practically dropping the thing in her shock. Pyrrha brought a hand to her mouth and immediately stiffened.   
  
“Jaune? What were you doing with those? Were you…” She looked over the blood splotches on his face and blanket. “I’ll call a medic. Please stay-“ Jaune grabbed her arm when she stood, finally looking his partner in the face.   
  
“Don’t… please.” Pyrrha and Nora both looked at him questioningly.   
  
“Alright, but you have to show us what’s bleeding.” He sighed heavily at her request, finally loosening the blanket around his shoulders. He let it fall to his waist, revealing the attached wing wrapped around his shoulder. The girls both audibly gasped, unsure how to respond.   
  
“Jaune? Are you a Faunus?” He could have laughed at Nora’s question, but instead simply shook his head. If only he could have passed himself off as a Faunus. If only real Faunus weren’t so perceptive. Pyrrha steeled herself and grabbed the first aid kit in Jaune’s pack.   
  
“I’m going to look at your back, alright.” Pyrrha said carefully. Jaune just looked down and didn’t protest, letting her climb on his bed behind him. Her breath hitched, and he could feel her starting to tremble. “Oh Oum! what did you do?!” He couldn’t answer. He was too afraid to answer. The door swung open a few minutes later and Ren stepped inside with a tray of cups and a steaming kettle. He placed it on Pyrrha’s desk and poured glasses for everyone. The champion ignored it for now in favour of cleaning Jaune’s back. The blonde took the cup from Ren without comment. Nora even scooted over to Pyrrha’s bed being uncharacteristically serious.   
  
Ren took a seat as well bracing himself for what was coming. “So you said you’d explain.” Everyone went quiet waiting for Jaune to start, but where does he even begin with something like this?   
  
“You see, I’m not actually a human… or a Faunus.” Ren just nodded and Nora looked at Jaune questioningly. Pyrrha even stopped cleaning his wound, moving around to watch his face. He sighed. There was no point putting it off any longer. “I’m an angel.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Honestly have no clue what I was thinking when I wrote this. It seemed like a good idea at the time, now I’m kind of meh about it.
> 
> Let me know what ya’ll think.
> 
> Edit (4-10-19): I cleaned up the grammer errors in chapter 1 so hopefully it reads better now.


	2. The Begining Pt. 1

He awoke with a jolt, bolting upright but quickly crumpling to his knees. His body was screaming in agony and his right wing refused to fold inward. He attempted to move his left before realizing something was wrong. His weight wasn’t distributed right. He wasn’t supposed to be this light! The angel glanced around realizing he was in a room of some sort. It was sparsely furnished, a very odd looking bed and a dresser along opposing walls planted on a wooden floor. There were some boxes made of an odd brown material, rags made in the shapes of animals, an odd rabbit statue with a drape above it, and several tiny flat squares on the dresser. He quickly noticed a full body mirror near a black box in the corner of the room. He limped to it, trying to stand up straighter but his muscles kept locking up. Quickly he looked at himself, jaw going slack at seeing his broken form.

His golden hair hung loose, cascading past his shoulders in messy locks. His face was still burned and swollen, plus his chest and arms were covered in bandages. What scared him most were his wings, or ‘wing’ would be more appropriate. The left one was almost completely gone. The wingpit was still intact, but the feathers were missing and what remained was wrapped in bandages. The right wing was in better shape, though clearly broken and securely splinted. That's not even mentioning the colour change. The feathers were entirely wrong. His once pristine white wing was now a deep ebony, absorbing any light that touched it. He brushed his reflection shakily, not understanding how this happened. Why had this happened? This didn’t make any sense! He closed his eyes and tried to focus his powers on healing, but the wounds refused to close. This was bad. He could normally heal injuries almost instantaneously. However, if they wouldn’t heal at will then they were either inflicted by another angel or God. The thought made him shudder. Why would God have done this? Why would the other angels do this? What had he done to anger them?!

He clutched his head as a sharp pang sent him to the floor. He couldn’t remember. He couldn’t remember anything that happened! Why were his memories gone?! This wasn’t possible! He was being bombarded with so many new senses and emotions. This wasn’t normal for a being like him. A human yes, but an angel-

“Oh Oum you’re awake!” A feminine voice said in relief. His gutt sank as realization set in. The angel was too vulnerable in this state. He couldn’t let her approach him like this!

He gathered his remaining strength and used it to force her back. His pupils illuminated and the air around him became physically heavy. Despite the weight all the objects around him began levitating shakily. Somehow he managed to straighten his back in a threatening stance.

“Halt!” His voice boomed at triple the volume, sending her staggering backwards. She raised her arms defensively with a shrill scream. “Who are you? And what is the meaning of-“

A light appeared behind him and a blaring noise accompanied. He nearly toppled over in shock turning to see flashing images all over the once blank surface. With a cry he summoned a sword and launched it at the evil black box. It exploded in a fountain of glass sprinkling around the room. Satisfied he looked back to the human and she was staring back at him, only there was more then just fear in her expression.

“Gwen?!” This one was definitely male, and he rushed into the room with a weapon drawn. It was strange and metallic, like nothing he’d ever seen a human use before.

“I told you to explain yourself!” He shouted at Gwen directly. The male didn’t approve, aiming the tube directly at him.

“If you don’t stop this now I’ll be forced to shoot!” The man yelled back.

“Nigel please!” Gwen forced the man to stand back. She offered her hands up placating and approached. “Please stop this. We found you almost dead in the woods the other day. You had fallen out of the sky.” He… he fell from the sky? Why had he fallen? Was he cast out of heaven?!

“Please.” He nearly jumped in shock. Despite the increased gravity she now only stood a few feet away. “We just want to help you. Will you let us?” The angel could feel his body starting to tremble. He didn’t know. He didn’t know anything and it terrified him. Angels were supposed to be knowledgeable, they were meant to relay information between heaven and the mortal realm. But right now he knew nothing. He felt as clueless as a human and it was torture. His magic began to ebb away and he soon found himself kneeling again. The woman was holding his torso gently, and the man rushing to her side.

“What in Oum’s name was that?” Nigel asked looking at the disturbed furniture. 

“He’s just confused and scared.” Gwen smiled reassuringly. “There there, I promise everything will be okay.” She cooed lightly, much like he’d seen human mothers do to their offspring. He couldn’t deny that the contact was nice, like an anchor in a restless sea. He’d never experienced anything like this before.

Slowly he brought his arms up and gripped her lightly. He used the chance to judge both of their souls, observing the burning flames in their chests. The male had a mostly white soul with some darker black and grey impurities typical of human soldiers. This Gwen woman was different. Her soul was clean and pure burning for the most part, except for one solid black spark that flickered every now and then. That lines up with a great personal tragedy. The loss of a husband or child perhaps? It was hard to say. Regardless the likelihood of this woman trying to kill him was slim, and that was something he took comfort in. The man on the other hand was a different matter.

“Will you go back to bed please? You’ll heal faster there.” The angel didn’t protest, letting the humans lead him back to the elevated cushion. No one said anything until he was seated, the woman now rushing off saying something about food. He used the chance to look over the man, Nigel if he remembered correctly. He was tall, well over six feet. His hair was a dirty blonde colour with a few streaks of grey in his beard. All of it contrasted his stern sky blue eyes. He was aging but toned like a fighter. Who had this man served? 

“Do you have a name son?” Nigel finally spoke getting uncomfortable with the angel’s staring. He paused, inhaling deeply making sure he was at acceptable volumes.

“Lucifer.”

“Can’t say I’ve heard that name before.” The older man mused. “Is it of faunus origin?”

“Faunus?” Lucifer asked perplexed. He hadn’t heard that word before. Nigel scratched his head with a raised brow.

“You know, the people with animal traits like tails and ears. I figured you were one with the wings on your back.” The angel shook his head. They sounded like some sort of demonic creatures to him. “So what are you then? I know for a fact the wings aren’t fake.”

“I’m an…. I’m…” He couldn’t finish that sentence. He didn’t want it to be true. The words already left a bitter taste behind, but it was hard denying it. His wings were black now and his halo missing, both clear signs that he’s fallen from grace.

“You don’t have to say if you don’t want to.” Nigel sighed. “Can you at least tell me where you’re from?” He went quiet after that. Lucifer wasn’t even sure what continent he was on, and he wasn’t about to say heaven. These people also seemed more advanced than the ones he was familiar with, and probably better educated. He knew his personal appearance was better reflective of those in the northern pagan lands, but they were tribal and had no major cities. Come to think of it, this man had similar features as the northern barbarians too. It may be better to pick a southern area then.

“I’m from Bezek.” He lied. Part of him wished his gift of tongues was gone, then he wouldn’t be having this conversation. It was too late to play dumb about the language sadly.

“Bezek? I’ve never heard of it.” Nigel scratched his chin suspiciously. “What major city is it closest to?”

“... it’s around the Canaan area.” He said hoping that would suffice. It didn’t, and the man just seemed even more wary. Lucifer looked away from his harsh gaze hoping for the talk to end.

“Have you heard of angels before?” Lucifer looked at him wide eyed. “They are rather sparse in fairytales, but they’re supposedly winged humans with great power. They even serve as messengers for the gods. Sound familiar?” He didn’t respond, sighing quietly and looking towards the window. Had he really been discovered so quickly? Did the human not know how vulnerable he currently was? It would be easy to steal his feathers, or even his remaining wing, so what was the man waiting for?

Thankfully the woman finally stepped back in. Gwen was middle aged with some extra heft around her gutt. She also had blonde hair and bright blue eyes like her husband, but thankfully hers were far kinder. She handed him a bowl of soup and… a metal stick with a wide concave end. He’d never seen anything like it before. Was this some sort of human food? Did these humans eat metal?

“Don’t be shy.” She smiled. “You need to get your strength up.” He nodded. Even if the angel didn’t need to eat, and had never done so before actually, he could tell pushing it away would offend them. He stuck the alloy in his mouth and bit down. Lucifer chewed the flat end before swallowing, taking the remaining handle from his mouth.

“This is very good. Thank you.” He bowed his head slightly, but the two humans only gawked at him.

“Did you just eat the spoon?” Nigel asked skeptically. Lucifer just furrowed his brow.

“Was this thing… not part of the meal?” He questioned. The two humans stood silently not sure what to do.

“Alright son.” Nigel sighed. “We have a lot to talk about.”

XxxxxxxxX

Lucifer walked through the den running his hand along every book possible. He needed to learn as much as he could about this new realm, and absorbing the knowledge through touch was the fastest way. The words in every book scrolled through his mind and imbedded themselves to memory. Within a day he had made it through every book on the shelf, and he was rather happy with what he’d learned so far.

For one thing he wasn’t on earth. This world was called Remnant, and the countries and people were vastly different from the ones he knew. Life expectancies were far longer, new incredible inventions abounded, and even the religions here were quite different. The same family structures and gender roles the humans he knew used no longer applied, and it was certainly a strange contrast. Sadly war and racism were still a problem, something he feared would follow humanity no matter what world he fell into.

He looked to the wall after scanning the last book, noticing several picture frames. He made his way over and examines them. One was a wedding photo of Gwen and Nigel, back when they were much younger. The second one was of all the children together. Lucifer had sporadically seen children of varying ages either passing him in the hall or trying to sneak a peek while he slept, but they’d always shied away before he could say anything. He recognised a couple in the photo, particularly the younger girls. There was one that stood out to him though. Seated between all the girls was a small boy, probably around three or four. He was blonde like the others but maintained an annoyed scowl. His hair was pulled into poorly done pigtails, and the sign in his hands said ‘help.’ The angel couldn’t help but smile. They certainly seemed like a close knit family. He did hope to meet all of the children at some point. 

“Find something you like?” Lucifer turned to see one of the older girls. She was in her early twenties, with long blonde hair and bright blue eyes that matched her parents.

“I was looking at the photographs.” He responded. “I didn’t realise there were so many people here.”

“Yeah, it can be a bit rowdy, but for the most part we get along fine.” She smiled before reaching her hand out. “My name’s Scarlet by the way.” Lucifer stared at her hand unsure what to do with it. “You should take my hand and shake it. It’s a greeting.” He fumbled quickly trying to take it in a firm hold, initially using the wrong arm. Scarlet just laughed and corrected him.

“Sorry.” He smiled stiffly. The angel wasn’t used to interacting this much with other beings in general. Apparently he was a very awkward in a real conversation. “My name is Lucifer.”

“We know.” She smiled. “You’ve been the talk of the house all week. My sisters have been really excited to meet you.” Scarlet motioned over to the hallway where several younger girls were peering inside. They quickly scampered away when he looked over. The angel couldn’t help but laugh. The purity in children’s hearts and souls was something he rarely got to be around. It was always nice to see.

“What of the boy in the picture?” Lucifer asked. Scarlet quickly went quiet, her light air suddenly getting tense. She took a deep breath before speaking.

“His name was Jaune. He… died when he was eight.” Lucifer glanced over while she sadly gazed at the family photo. “Four years ago he got separated from our family on a camping trip. An Ursa found him before dad could…” She was starting to tear up, the memory still very painful. Lucifer’s eyes softened and he placed a hand firmly on her shoulder. The angel let energy radiate from his wings in a soft white light. It wouldn’t stop the pain, but he's found it comforting to mortals in the past.

“I’m sorry.” Lucifer said softly. “I didn’t mean to cause you pain.”

“It’s alright. Just try not to mention it around my mother and father. I told you now so they don’t have to.” She forced a grin while wiping her last tear away. “That’s a nice trick you have. What’s the secret?” He flapped his wingpit, getting a small laugh from her.

“They move!” A young girl in a pink skirt was staring at the maimed appendages in wonder. “You really are an angel.” 

“A black sheep really.” Lucifer corrected. “I don’t hold that title any more.” She looked at him rather confused, but perked up when he flapped his wingpit again.

“It looks funny.” She giggled.

“Saphron!” Scarlet scolded. “You know better then to say things like that. Apologise.”

“I’m sorry.” She said clearly annoyed with her elder sister.

“She isn’t wrong.” He turned to look back at his bare wingpit, new quills already starting to grow through the dark skin. “It’ll look better eventually.”

“Can you actually fly?” Saphron questioned. 

“When my wings are in good condition, I can do that and more.” He smiled boastfully. She quickly turned to the doorframe and shouted.

“He said he can fly!” 

“Yes!” A young teenager in a blue hoodie with her hair pulled back celebrated. “You owe me five bucks.”

“I’ll believe it when I see it.” A second girl with a side ponytail walked away with her arms crossed.

They watched the three girls rush down the hallway and out of sight, leaving Lucifer and Scarlet alone once again.

“So.” The woman finally started. “Would you like to meet the rest of the family?” Lucifer sighed happy for a new distraction.

“I would be honoured.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m glad people are interested in it! Hopefully it will live up to expectations. Well start with a flashback. This was one chapter split into two, so hopefully I’ll have the second half up in a few days.
> 
> Let me know your thoughts!


	3. The Beginning Pt 2

_The angel soared through a great expanse of fog. It was thick enough to suffocate in, and the large metal towers spread throughout made navigating a slow process. He could hear the desperate cries of humans below him, a chaotic chorus of voices screaming for his attention. They kept getting louder and louder, wringing through his ears like nothing he’s experienced before. He grabbed at his head trying to block out the noises, but it only seemed to get louder._

_A spire of flames shot up from below narrowly missing Lucifer’s wing. A second flaming twister appeared on his right this time, and he was forced to dodge a barrage of giant fire walls. The heat was too intense, and the tips of his flight feathers were already starting to scorch. If he didn't escape soon he'd be roasted alive._

_Then a figure appeared, silhouetted by the fog and flames around them. They also had wings and a bright halo on their head, arms held out as if waiting for him to approach. The angel obliged knowing the fires gave him no choice. He slowly fluttered over, hoping the winged figure would help._

_“Greetings brother. I fear I’ve lost my way. Could you assist me?” Lucifer called out but received no response. Suddenly their eyes shot open, revealing smouldering pupils brighter than the fires around them. They shot their arms forward and the flames followed, all of them changing course and travelling right for him-_

XxxxxxX

“Wake up Lucy! We have stuff to do today.” A familiar tomboy in green rushed into the room eagerly. Lucifer opened his eyes trying to get his bearings. Right, the girls didn’t have school today. Olive was standing there impatiently with a gapped tooth grin.

“Aw, five more years please.” The angel buried his face into the pillow. He squawked when a hand pulled his recently healed wing.

“No way! You were gonna finish that flood story today! And I wanna see how far you can throw a watermelon.” She put her hands on the bed and shook it violently.

“Fine fine, I’m moving.” Lucifer yawned finally sitting up. She grinned excitedly before rushing down to the kitchen. He watched after her thoughtfully, standing up and walking to the mirror. Lucifer looked to his marred chest and wings before shutting his eyes, focusing his power on folding them to a point of oblivion. He had been trying to hide them from sight for the last several days, a once easy practice now practically impossible. Opening his eyes he groaned in disappointment. The wing and a half were still there despite his efforts. His powers were too weak to do that simple task, and he’d already bumped and broken three vases and a lamp while navigating the house. Walking through buildings with a fourteen foot wingspan, or ten feet currently, was hazardous to say the least. He’d need to find a solution sooner or later if he’d really lost the ability to hide them.

Grabbing an old button up shirt Scarlet had cut wing slits in Lucifer threw it on while walking downstairs. It was odd how nobody wanted him to leave. He's been here for two months and these humans treated him like one of their own. The younger girls even looked up to him, not like a father figure though. Like a brother perhaps? Would their opinions changed as they aged? Despite his centuries of existence he didn’t look much younger then Scarlet, and he would remain that way. He’s never had these sorts of relationships with mortals, and it really posed a lot of new questions for him. Time affected them differently, and now that he's lived among them that fact is now abundantly clear. He wasn't sure what to expect, and wanted to see it through.

“Good morning Lucy.” Saphron smiled while finishing the dishes. Violet, her quieter sister with glasses, was helping put everything away. The other girls were also busy finishing their own morning chores, some sweeping the kitchen or wiping down the long oak table. Olive eagerly threw her clothes basket in the front closet before rushing over.

“Took you long enough! I got the melons outside.” She grabbed his hand before the twins intervened. Lucifer internally groaned but remained quiet, knowing exactly what would happen. This was going to take a while.

“No you’re not.” Sky interrupted. “I promised to teach him more human things this morning.”

“And I want to braid his hair!” Her identical twin Jey added. Olive tightened her grip on his hand and pulled.

“But that’s so stupid! He can lift the tractor and you’d rather spend time talking?”

“Who said we’re just talking?” Jey pulled out a brush and several hair ties. “I’m gonna teach him how to french braid.”

“And you haven’t finished helping mom with laundry.” Sky added. Olive was about to argue when a familiar voice called her name. Gwen was standing by the entryway beckoning the tomboy to follow. She gave her sisters both death glares before stomping to the laundry room. Lucifer could only watch as the two teenagers pulled him to the couch and made him sit.

“Excellent.” Sky and Jey both nodded in unison. “Let’s get started.”

XxxxxxxxxX

“See, your not supposed to eat the plastic wrap, just the bar inside.” The girl pealed the casing away from the nut bar, taking a big bite.

“I see.” He looked at his own wrapped snack. Sky had volunteered to teach him more about human foods today and what was appropriate to eat. Jey had finished with his hair a while ago and was currently brushing the feathers on his right wing.

“You don’t actually get it do you?” Sky questioned suspiciously.

“Not at all.” Lucifer gave in. “Humans where I’m from maybe put their rations in a basket or cloth, but never anything this weird. Why encase it in such a way?”

“Because it’s sticky and can get everything messy.” Jey answered.

“And things stick to it. Like germs and dog hair. I don’t want to eat dog hair.” Sky added.

“So where does the wrapper go when it’s use has expired?”

“You throw it in a trash can.” Jey answered. “Then it goes to a dump.”

“So do the animals eat it after that? Or does it return to the soil for crop growth?” Lucifer asked curiously.

“I don’t think so.” Sky thought for a moment. “I’m pretty sure it just sits in a hole.” Lucifer scratched his chin still a bit confused. That seemed so wasteful, and went completely against what he thought he knew of humans. If it wasn’t a means to fertilise crops, religious worship or feed for livestock why would they make it? The wrapper was so flimsy too, and he couldn’t think of other uses for it. The Arcs lived in a family unit much like humans of earth, but they didn’t shepherd the land like his. Even if unintentional the impact of a single human was very rarely scene that long after they died. These people were so individualistic though, not giving as much thought to social roles or the earth they rule over. It was such a bizarre thing.

“Go long boy!” Olive rushed into the room with one of the family shepherd dogs. The canine started to tremble in Lucifer’s presence, and the game clearly ended as he backed away. “Aww come on! We were having fun.” The gapped toothed adventurer looked to the angel accusingly. “Why do you keep doing that?”

“I’m not doing anything!” He raised his hands defensively. “Animals just do that around me.” It may have something to do with his angelic powers. Actually, that’s probably the exact reason why it happened.

“Well now he won’t touch the new toy I found.” She held up a curved strip of metal, a very familiar strip of metal. Lucifer's eyes widened in disbelief, and in a flash he snatched the alloy away from her. “Hey!” But he didn’t respond, hands starting to tremble. It was dark and broken but that didn't change anything. It made it to Remnant. His halo fell to Remnant!

“Where did you find this?” He asked Olive sternly. She seemed put off by his sudden seriousness but quickly puffed out her chest.

“I found it in the crater you left.”

“Can you lead me there?” Lucifer asked. He needed to find the other pieces. If there was any chance that the rest of his halo made it here he’d pursue it.

“Will you throw melons with me afterwards?” Olive questioned.

“I’ll throw whatever you want me to. Even the car.”

“Seriously?!” Olive looked at him skeptically, but smirked once he nodded. “Yeah! I can show you right now!” Olive ran towards the door, the angel and twins following close behind. The dog pursued at a distance, stopping at the porch and barking. Lucifer ignored him as they traveled further and further into the woods. The building and animal pens on the homestead soon disappeared as the wooded area darkened. She led them between thick trees and undergrowth until they came to a sudden halt.

“Are we the-“

“SHHHH!” All three teens shushed him as their movements became very stiff.

“There’s an ursa over there.” Sky whispered. “We need to go home and get dad before it notices.” Lucifer looked at the thing, it’s massive black body contrasted by a strange white mask. Its eyes glowed red and the thing was far bigger than any bears on earth. He turned to the girls seeing haunted expressions, and Jey looked ready to cry. Didn’t their brother die to a bear like this? He couldn’t blame their fear then, but it was clearly getting the monster’s attention. The beast turned its head in their direction, sniffing the air and walking their way.

“Halt demon!” Lucifer stepped forward despite the girls trying to hold him back. His wings puffed out threateningly and he dug his heels in. The thing didn’t acknowledge his statement, continuing to lumber forward. This creature was strange. It didn’t have a soul similar to demons he’s seen before, but it wasn’t as powerful or smart as he expected. It’s being was a whirlpool of malice and sorrow. A creature born if complete chaos.

The angel summoned five swords over his head, each one entering existence from a ripple in the air. The glowing blades angled towards the monster, and with the wave of his hand the weapons shot forward. In a flash they impaled the beast turning it to black smoke.

“Are you three alright?” He spun to the girls seeing their fear had turned to complete shock. It took a moment before Olive finally spoke up.

“That was so… awesome!” The girls rushed over excitedly talking over each other.

“You can summon swords?!”

“How’d you do that?”

“Can you do it again?!”

“Hey guys.” Sky interrupted. “Why do you think an ursa was this close to home? Shouldn’t the wall have stopped it?” The two girls stood around thoughtfully.

“Yeah your right.” Olive decided.

“Perhaps there’s a breach in the fence?” Jey wondered. “We should probably head back and tell dad.”

“No.” Lucifer said resolutely. “You're taking me to the crash site first, then we’ll head back.” The girls seemed hesitant to continue, but ultimately Olive took the lead again with everyone else following. They hiked for another five minutes before coming across an area with several downed and splintered trees. They all lead to a decently sized crater several yards away.

“That’s the spot.” Olive crossed her arms in satisfaction while the twins began climbing the fallen logs. He didn’t waste any time searching, scanning the ground and feeling any suspect areas with his hands. Eventually the girls joined in scouring the earth for his halo pieces. It took ten minute before Sky shouted happily that she’d found a piece among some splintered wood. It fit with the other section perfectly. He couldn’t help but grin. It was almost complete already. The four searched for another straight hour despite the girls’ complaining. Finally he glanced up, seeing a smaller section of metal wedged in a tree.

“Yes!” He quickly hurried over reaching for it desperately, but it was a few feet too high. The angel jumped trying to spread his wings, quickly fumbled when the left one wouldn’t catch any air. Right, he couldn’t fly right now.

“Do you need any help?” Lucifer looked down seeing Jey watching him curiously.

“Yes actually. If I give you a boost could you pull that section of halo free?” She nodded eagerly. He lifted her up on his shoulders and held her legs firmly. Jey grasped the metal piece tightly and pulled, the thing coming loose after a few good yanks.

“I got it!” She yelled in triumph. Lucifer lowered her, taking the section and holding it to the others. That was the last piece. Some of the metal was scorched with warping but it was all here.

“What is that thing anyway?” Olive asked.

“My halo.” The angel answered simply.

“It doesn’t look like much. Why’s it so special?”

“It’s difficult for mortals to understand.” He started. “It’s like another part of me. Losing it would be like… losing an arm or leg for you.” It was clear the girls were still trying to comprehend his statement, but that’s what he expected. He thought the halo was lost forever after awakening, and he was trying to accept that. Now that it was whole again he’d never let it leave his side.

He turned his head hearing some rustling in the forest, quickly lacing the halo pieces through his belt. The girls noticed too, all peeking up trying to see the culprit.

“Who’s there?” Olive shout at the tree line. Two armed men entered the clearing, one of them far more confident then the other.

“Relax ducky.” The one in front said with a smirk. “No need ta be hostile.” He was very muscular, dark skin paired with long black hair tied loosely in a horsetail. He wore two massive swords on his back, simple in appearance but very sharp and heavy.

“Your on private property, now leave before there’s any trouble.” Olive growled and the twins nodded in agreement. Lucifer stayed quiet, too busy examining their souls. The one in front had a very dark soul, ranging in black to grey flames. An experienced criminal, one that has murdered before. The other had a lighter coloured soul, though many grey flames burned throughout. He wasn’t as far gone as his friend, but was starting to tread the same path.

The smaller arrival wore horns in his head, curled ones similar to a ram. He also carried what looked like a long gun, similar to the one Nigel had but more ornate and newer in appearance. He had his gun pointed at the angel, terror all over his face.

“Ya see.” The lead intruder continued. “We found a great big hole in your fence. Thought you’de like us ta take care of any Grimm that wandered in. For a fee of course.” He was eyeing all of the girls up, licking his lips and making to move forward.

“Wait!” The one with the horns cried to his partner. “Don’t go near him!” The larger man looked backed sceptically.

“Ya mean the one winged fanus? What’s he gonna do? feather me ta death.”

The frightened man shook his head. “I d-don’t know what he is, but he sure as hell ain’t one of my kin.” Lucifer looked at his horns closer realizing they were attached, but in this world that’s not a sign of evil. Then that could only mean…

“Excuse me, but are you a faunus-” A bang echoed through the woods, his chest and back suddenly oozing with wetness. Jey and Sky both screamed while Olive starred with her mouth gaping.

“Ya killed a hostage!” The leader shouted angrily at his partner, but the sheep man was already running away. He turned to the girls with a snarl. “At least I’ll take ya three!” The man rushed to grabbed the children but Lucifer surrounded him in a cage of blades. He tried to slice his way through the barrier but the glowing swords wouldn’t budge, deflecting his blades with bell like ringing. Lucifer turned to face the teens, his expression stern.

“Go tell your father what happened. I’ll hold him.”

“But you're hurt!” Olive shouted. The other girls clearly didn’t want to leave either, but it was better if they weren’t here for what came next. He flared his magic, wings glowing lightly as the gravity seemed to increase.

“NOW.” His voice boomed through the woods, and all three Arcs sprinted back home without another word. He faced the man again, only to see his blades transforming to look more like long bulky guns.

“Eat this ya freak!” A red powder sparked in the barrels and a wide stream of flames headed right for him. His mind flashed with recognition, swiftly dodging the fire and grabbing the gun barrels. He could feel his palms roasting but that hardly mattered. With a swift yank he bent both barrels to face their wielder, blasting him with flames before they went out. The brute screamed and dropped the guns clutching for his burnt torso.

“BASTARD!” The man snarled. Lucifer lit his eyes bright yellow, reaching his hand forward and grasping the man’s chest, digging his fingers through his soul.

The villain’s life flashed before the two of them. Growing up with an abusive mother, dropping out of school at fifteen. Running away. Turning to a life of crime. Murder, rape, theft, abuse. All his sins were laid out as the man stared up terrified.

“Percival McLeach.” Lucifer stated in his elevated voice. “You have committed numerous atrocities amongst your fellow men and women. You ignored the laws of your land and continued to hurt people for your own gain and pleasure. What is your defence?” The man's eyes turned to pinpricks, his mouth trembling trying to form words.

“H-how did you know-“

“I asked you a question.” Lucifer stated.

“W-what the HELL are you?!” He cried finally finding his voice.

“I am one that watches over humanity.” The angel responded. “And you are too dangerous for me to release. You will instead face your final judgement now.” He placed his thumb to the man's forehead, his eyes rolling back and his mouth gaping open. The villain's body began to glow and he disintegrated into a cloud of red embers floating in the wind. It only took a few seconds for his whole being to vanish. Lucifer looked at the remaining cinders with a solemn expression. It’s been a long time since he’s smited a mortal, and the process never got any easier.

“Did you just kill him?!” The angel turned to see Nigel and an older man he didn’t recognise. The newcomer had grey hairs and a longer beard, but his facial feature matched the younger man very closely. He pointed his gun at the angel, his eyes furious.

“I sent him to his final judgement.” Lucifer answered simply.

“We have laws to prosecute criminals like him. There was no need to do that.” Nigel shook his head.

Lucifer just sighed. “‘For all who have sinned without the Law will also perish without the Law.’” The two Arcs looked at him like he was insane. “You don’t want to know what he intended to do with your daughters. Your kind will be safer without him.” The two just stared unsure what to think, until Nigel finally sheathed his weapon and approached.

“The girls said you were shot in the chest, and the bleedings right around your heart.” Lucifer looked at his torso. Sure enough the wetness he felt was blood already starting to dry. Nigel undid the button up and wiped the blood away, only to find the wound already closed. He hadn’t known about the burn wounds on his palms, but those were healed at this point too. The older gentleman leaned in to examine the lack of damage, something rolling around in his head.

“So he really is an… angel as you put it? Not a delusional fanus.”

“Fallen Angel.” Lucifer corrected.

“Whatever.” He walked off in the direction the sheep man ran earlier. “I’ll see about tracking down the runway. You take care of your guest.” There was a moment of silence between them before Nigel finally spoke.

“Thank you for saving my daughters.” He clasped a firm hand over the angel’s shoulder.

“Don’t mention it.” Lucifer stated pulling the halo pieces from his belt. All three segments were still there.

“What is that?” Nigel asked curiously.

“A very special object, but it broken sadly.” The angel sighed.

“Talk to Peri when you get back to the house.” Nigel suggested. “She’s good with blacksmithing.” Lucifer nodded and the two went their separate ways, Nigel heading towards the fence while the angel walked back home. He couldn’t stop thinking about his dream the other night. That last vision with the angel throwing fire, it was almost accurate to the crook shooting flames at him. Could the screams have represented the girls? He didn’t think any prophetic abilities would have survived being thrown from heaven, no matter how vague they were. This was something he’d need to investigate further.

XxxxxxxxxX

“You really don’t have to stand there. This will take a while.” Periwinkle, the eldest of the Arc sisters, said with an air of frustration. They were in a cluttered pole building that functioned as her work shop. It reminded him of the early metal workers back on earth, only they never made it past working in bronze like Peri did.

“I’d rather stay.” Lucifer stated ignoring her clear annoyance. He wasn’t letting his halo go now. Besides, the girls were being clingier than usual. After being shot Sky, Jey and Olive didn’t want to leave his side, as if they thought he’d drop dead at any second. Now that he’d found a hiding spot he planned on keeping it for as long as possible. The woman rolled her eyes while flipping a black mask over her face. She grabbed a thing called a blow torch and lit it, attempting to solder the halo together. Lucifer occupied himself by looking around the room. There were a lot of metal scraps. Saw blades and hammers of various sizes were hung up in specially made stands, and there was even a shelf of random objects.

He stopped short at seeing a familiar object. Something he thought destroyed. It was his helmet. More like part of his helmet. A huge hole had been blasted through the left side, and the only parts that looked salvageable were the cheeks guards and visor. His destroyed chest plate was also next to it, along with one of his gauntlets and melted wing guard. Wait, why was his armour like this to begin with? Was heaven attacked? Did he fall trying to defend his home? Of course God’s forces would have won, but he didn’t like being forgotten about.

“Why do you have these?” He asked.

“Found those around the crash sight.” Peri shrugged. “I’ve never seen metals like them before. Hope you don’t mind.” Lucifer shook his head. He doubted he’d ever wear them again anyway. He took a seat looking over her armour designs while she hammered away at his halo. After a few hours of trying she threw her hands up in defeat.

“I tried.” Peri declared. “I’ve never worked with any metals like this. I don’t think anything can reattach the pieces.”

“That’s alright. Thank you for trying.” Lucifer sighed. He knew her actually fixing it was a stretch. He’d just have to lock the pieces away or something.

“Hold on. I have one more idea.” She took a seat at her desk and opened up a tackle box. Peri pulled out several little metal pieces and started tinkering with his halo again. She worked for another hour before holding up her creation. “Done! The pieces aren’t fused but it should hold together.” Lucifer took the pieces, now forming a loop like his halo used to be. It was now held together by clamp like objects securely attached to the ends.

“You can even wear it as a necklace now. Here!” She took the halo back and undid one of the clamps, standing on her tiptoes to pull it around a throat. She grabbed a shiny hubcap from her shelf and held it up. He admired his distorted reflection. Lucifer’s halo was securely held around his neck now. Just having it back was a comfort, but seeing it on his body was the greatest feeling.

“Thank you Peri!” He picked her up and spun her around happily.

“Y-you’re welcome-“ She choked out. “You’re… hurting me-“

“Oh!” The angel put her down and laughed awkwardly. “Sorry about that. I’m just so happy.” He sighed. “It’s weird. Before coming to Remnant I could feel faded emotions, but now everything feels so much more intense…” He laughed. “Is this how humans also respond to feelings?”

“Hard to say.” Peri answered thoughtfully. “Everyone experience emotions individually. It’s hard to say yours and mine are the same.” Lucifer nodded. That’s another thing he’d have to explore.

“Lucy!” He jolted when Sky’s muffled voice called through the door.

“I gotta go.” Lucifer snuck over to the window. “If she asks please tell her I wasn’t here.”

“No promises.” Peri waved him off before going back to work. Lucifer just shook his head and climbed through the window, hoping to find a new hiding spot.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you all don’t mind the flashback sections, since we’ll be here for half of the next chapter before getting back to present Beacon. The Arc family is based off the family portrait shown in volume 6. If they ever actually name drop the other sisters I’ll go back an change them.


	4. Grounded

_He was injured, desperately trying to navigate through a maze of twisted metal and fog. He was barely able to stay airborne, but he could at least use the jutting strips of metal as platforms when needed. People were screaming in the burning streets below. Slowly it dawned on him that the heavy cloud in the air was thick smoke from the inferno bellow. A shadow suddenly appeared above him. He glanced up seeing the silhouette of another angel flying high overhead. Her body was feminine, and she had long hair trailing in the wind behind her._

_“Wait!” He tried to take off from his perch but his wings weren’t working right. Instead he climbed up the mass of metal hoping to get her attention. Finally he reached the top, looking out at a shattered moon with something massive in front of it. It was a clock tower, a spire that loomed over the entire burning hellscape below it. The strange angel perched on top of the tower and beckoned with her hand. He went to follow, only now noticing his wings were completely gone. Lucifer screamed as he fell to the burning scape below, reaching out desperately for assistance-_

XxxxX

Lucifer awoke with a jolt, taking a moment to get his barings. Right, he was in the Arc household. Tiredly he stretched his wings before grabbing a button up shirt and pants from the dresser. Lucifer stepped into the hallway, seeing the greying shepherd dog run away right as he entered. The angels been here for five years now and that stupid thing was still afraid of him. Then again animals were far more perceptive to magical energies than humans, and his strength has gradually grown back since coming here. The angel scuffled down the staircase seeing four of the younger girls sitting at the table. Not that they looked younger than him anymore.

“Good morning Lucy.” Sky smiled. “Care to join us?” Violet, Jey and Olive also looked over expectantly. The smallest was eighteen now, and Lucifer definitely looked younger than any of the girls. Not by much but he could probably pass as a younger sibling.

“Not today.” He held his hand up with a strained smile. “I think I’ll stretch my wings a bit instead.” The girls looked at him curiously before shrugging it off. It’s not like he needed meals so skipping wasn’t that unusual, but the girls did enjoy it when he told them tales of his old world over food. Recently though these dreams have kept him preoccupied.

Lucifer stepped out and wandered the woods lost in thought. The dreams were getting more frequent and that frightened him. They were definitely visions of things to come, and he’d be foolish to ignore them any longer. He grabbed his scroll and typed clock towers into the search bar. Images flooded the screen of many towers in cities around Remnant, but one stood out in particular. It was tall and gothic with a green tint to it, and the building overlooked Beacon Academy in Vale. A great calamity was going to befall this city, and it seemed as if the huntsman school was at the heart of it somehow.

The issue remained though. Why was he having these visions? And if he acted what would be the best approach?

He could attempt contacting their headmaster in a dream, but he was too far away to do that currently. Besides, the angel wasn’t positive himself on what would happen. Nor did he have a decent time frame. Regardless a lot of people were going to die if things didn’t change, and he oddly felt the need to assist these humans.

Why was he considering this? It's not like he had to go. No one was giving him orders anymore. But what if there was more to it? Would travelling this road uncover the reason why he fell into this realm? It’s not like God would contact him anymore, in a direct way at least. Dreams were better suited as a way to communicate with mortals. Unless he was supposed to be living like a mortal…

Was this all a test? A way to find his redemption? He still couldn’t remember why he was stranded in this realm to begin with. How could he determine his next action if he was so far in the dark already? But he’s been sitting around for several years and nothing had happened so far. Action of sorts would be the next logical step. Just what would be the best choice…

Lucifer walked around for another hour, not seeing any other Arcs yet. Somehow he wound up in Peri’s workshop. She was on a trip to town with her grandfather right now, so at least he could spend some time in here alone. He took the chance to wander around a bit, coming to the display of hammers and saws. Lucifer’s eyes were drawn to something higher on the wall. Old gardening tools, specifically a large pair of hedge cutting shears. Absently he grabbed the tool, wiping the dust off and examining the blades. They were clearly old, a little rust on the metal but they opened and closed. He took a seat by the wall and fiddled with the shears.

The angel glanced at the Beacon clock tower on his scroll again, finally coming to a conclusion. He had to get in somehow. If he could be in Vale, be at the epicentre he might be able to stop this tragedy before it occurred. Perhaps even learn something about his past. How big were the human cities here though? If they were bigger than Babylon or Nineveh that could definitely be an issue, and his skills regarding technology were minimal at best. The angel managed to find a map of the city on his scroll, realizing that Beacon Academy was separated from the rest of the city by a cliff. Then there would be a considerable distance to fly when the event finally happened, so staying in the city itself would be a poor choice. He’d need to be in the school. Lucifer couldn’t just walk in as is though. faunus and animals were able to detect his power, and if someone drew attention to him they’d probably attack onsight. He still couldn’t hide his wings sadly. After five damn years that ability never returned, and just resting them over his shoulders wouldn’t hide the magic they exuded.

He flapped his wings gently, bringing them into view. New feather covered the once bald wingpit, though there was horrible scarring. Some of the down feathers and secondary covets never grew back, and the fifth primary flight feather was permanently gone too. He could still fly thankfully, though a bit clumsily. Slowly his eyes were drawn back to the gardening shears, a horrible idea entering his mind.

Lucifer couldn’t believe what he was thinking. If he clipped his wings his magic would be completely drained. When his wings were damaged his powers were diminished, and without his connection to God he’d only be slightly stronger than a human. Still, if the wings were gone he might be able to pass as a normal human, even to a faunus. It wouldn’t be a permanent loss. As long as God or another angel didn’t use magic to sever them his powers would start to build again and the wings would grow back. Even so, just looking at the scissors made him queasy. His mind was made up though, and he wasn’t going back on this decision.

Lucifer shakily placed the shears around the base of his right wing and squeezed.

XxxxxxxxxX

The angel awoke slowly, his head hurting and back screaming in pain. Slowly he sat up, noticing he was laying on his bed under the sheets. The sky had also turned dark, the shattered moon faintly glowing through his window. That couldn’t be right though, he’d been in Peri’s workshop. Unless he dreamed the whole ordeal? Slowly he tried to stretch his wings noticing nothing was responding. He looked back seeing his pitch black wings were completely absent, and several bandages had been wrapped around his torso to stop the bleeding. So he really did clip his wings. How did he end up in bed though? Shakily he crawled to his feet, just realizing how drained he truly felt. It was almost as bad as when he first woke up here half dead. Lucifer couldn’t dwell on that now though. He needed to speak with Gwen and Nigel.

On his way out he happened to pass Scarlet. She was wiping tears from her eyes and jumped when she saw Lucifer awake. The angel waved hesitantly, not expecting her to take off in the opposite direction. That was… strange. Maybe the others knew why she was upset? Using the wall for support he made his way down the staircase, not expecting Peri to storm up and slap him across the face.

“WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING?!” He stared at the eldest Arc sister in complete confusion before she slapped him again. He could see the other girls were spying from the living room, all of them seemed rather distressed. “I asked you a question!”

“I’m sorry?” Lucifer said still trying to understand.

“SORRY?! You tried to commit suicide in my workshop and you think sorry will cut it?!” He finally noticed how red her cheeks and eyes were. The woman had clearly been crying, and was still fighting back tears.

“That’s enough Peri. Yelling will just make it worse.” Gwen shuffled over and grabbed Lucifer’s hand firmly. “Your father and I will have a word with him. Please just relax for now.” She led him to the kitchen. Lucifer just followed still confused by the whole thing. Nigel was standing by the counter with his arms crossed and trying to hide a hurt expression. Gwen sat him down and put a steaming drink in front of him. It was… hot chocolate if he remembered correctly. The two humans took a seat, both clearly hesitant on how to continue.

“You know you can always talk to us if you’re hurting.” She smiled sadly. Her eyes were also puffy and he could already see new tears forming. Just what was going on with everyone? He judged her soul again seeing the familiar dark spot had grown, and a fresh splotch of black had appeared on Nigel’s as well. Wait, didn’t Peri say something about suicide?!

“I-I think you have the wrong idea!” Lucifer stammered finally understanding the families’ thought process. No wonder everyone seemed so upset. “Killing myself was not the outcome I was going for.” They both looked at him rather confused.

“Look, Peri found you unconscious in her workshop with your wings severed and a blood trail across the floor.” Nigel responded sternly. “Lying about the situation won’t help you or us.”

“I swear I’m telling the truth!” He held his hands up placatingly.

“Alright then. Explain.” Nigel stated after a moment of silence. Lucifer could only breath trying to collect his thoughts. Where should he even begin?

XxxxxxxxxX

“And you’re sure about this?” Nigel asked for the fifth time. It was clear both mortals were shocked by his reasoning for clipping his wings, and it took a while to convince them it wasn’t what they first thought. Now they were struggling with the new revolution he told them.

“I am.” Lucifer nodded patiently. “If something isn’t done soon many people will die, and I believe I was meant to go and stop it.” Gwen had ceased tearing up a while ago as the two men talked the situation over. She was currently listening to the two thoughtfully “It’s taken me awhile to figure this out, but I believe the best course of action is for me to attend the school as a student. If I’m there I might be able to stop this tragedy. And perhaps learn something else along the way…” He said the last part under his breath, putting his hand absently on his halo.

“You think this is why you were sent here.” Gwen finally spoke up as more of a statement then question. Her gaze turned to understanding as she gripped his hand in her own. “I knew there must have been some reason behind your arrival. At first I thought it was to help mend the rift caused by our sons death, but if this is the course you choose I will support you in any way I can.”

“Thank you.” He said gratefully.

“I agree that your best course would be joining as a student.” Nigel finally said thoughtfully. “But actually getting you accepted would be another matter.”

“I could make some transcripts.” The three turned to see Violet playing with her glasses in the doorway. “I’m… pretty good with hacking and computers. I could falsify some transcripts easily.” Clearly she was hiding something else, but nobody pushed the issue.

“Will that get me in?” Lucifer asked. He didn’t know what transcripts were but by the sound of it they must be important.

“Most likely, as long as I can get dad’s signature to make them more authentic.”

“You also didn’t exist here until a few years ago. That might come up if they try a background check.” Nigel sighed, rolling over his next statement very carefully.

“I think you should use Jaune’s name.” That statement got everyone’s attention. “The Arc family is very well known among the huntsmen and military communities. If they see Jaune’s name on your forms they will be less likely to ask questions, and his name is already in the town records.”

“... Are you absolutely sure about this?” Lucifer asked carefully. He was aware that the Arc’s family lives were kept pretty well hidden, so the knowledge of their youngest child’s death may not be well known. Still, taking their dead son’s name to use as his own… It just felt wrong.

“I agree.” Gwen finally said. “It’s the most logical way to do this, and I’m sure Jaune would agree too. He always did want to help people like a real hero.” She smiled sadly. “Please do whatever you need to succeed.” He couldn’t believe how ready they were to do this, but he’d take whatever help he could get.

“Thank you all.” He smiled genuinely. They would never be able to comprehend how grateful he was, but that could wait until the threat was dealt with. “Alright. Where should we start?”

XxxxxxxxxX

Present Day*

The others were completely silent, even Nora wasn’t sure what to say. He couldn’t blame their shocked reactions. Under normal circumstances he’s sure they would have laughed him off, but after seeing the fully functioning wing attached it was hard to deny it.

Finally Ren took a deep breath and placed his fingers together. “So let me get this straight. You’re from a completely different realm of existence where you happened to serve a very powerful deity. Then you were banished from your home and ended up in Remnant, found and adopted by the Arc family, used their dead son's name to enter Beacon, and you're currently trying to stop a very bad thing from happening?”

“That’s the short of it.” Jaune sighed.

“So if you’re an angel… does that mean you have laser eyes? Oh! Or maybe x-ray vision? Turn invisible?” Nora asked eagerly getting closer to his attached wing. It twitched a bit making her squeal.

“No.” Jaune inhaled deeply. “Though without my wings I’m still able to judge someone’s soul, among a few other thing…” He trailed off, not wanting to discuss much more. Jaune wasn’t sure how they’d feel about the power he kept hidden from them. Would they fear him for it? The Arc’s were accepting but he knew not everyone would agree.

“You really can’t pretend to be a faunus?” Pyrrha asked. “It would be far better then… mutilating yourself.” She motioned to the slit on his back that was already starting to close.

“I tried that before.” Jaune shook his head. “Any faunus I met immediately knew I wasn’t one. Like animals, I think they’re more sensitive to the magic I exude. Just spotting my wings set them off.” He continued rubbing the dark metal around his neck absently before shrugging. “Besides, most places aren’t built to accommodate people with a fifteen foot wingspan. Doors and chairs can get very annoying to navigate. It’s just more convenient.”

He actually let out a genuine laugh afterwards. “Coming here was a wake up call though. I learned quickly that the rules of your world are very different from the one I knew. Though my memories are sparse I know the humans I watched over didn’t have auras or semblances, so imagine my surprise when Ozpin launched the new students off a cliff for initiation. A human of my realm would never have survived the fall.”

“That’s just… so weird!” Nora grinned. “Tell me more about this world! Did it have the same countries as Remnant? Were they super duper advanced? Did they have sloths too? What about-“

“I think we’ve talked enough for now.” Pyrrha interrupted, noticing Jaune starting to space out. He snapped back to attention when Pyrrha placed a hand on his shoulder. “What will you do about… that?” She pointed to his remaining wing. He could tell Pyrrha knew what was going to happen next, though she clearly wanted to be wrong.

“I’ll finish what I started.” He took the first aid kit from Pyrrha and stood up. The blonde also grabbed some sweatpants from his dresser, not even bothering with a shirt. Now that they knew it wasn’t worth the extra pain of putting one on. He stood up and approached Nora. “May I have those back please?” He motioned to the shears. Nora held onto them tighter, looking to Ren for guidance. The hands of the darker haired boy balled into fist, but he eventually gave a curt nod. Jaune took the shears carefully from her and walked towards their shared bathroom.

“... I know it’s a lot to take in, and you probably don’t trust me… but-“ Lucifer cut himself off. If he continued trying to make a case for himself the situation would probably get worse. “I'll have everything cleaned up once I’m finished.” He stated but the others just looked away. He expected as much at least. The blonde left the three teens to think while he turned the water back on. Jaune didn’t know what their ultimate decision about him would be. He imagined they’d want to talk things over without him, but they had the right to decide on their own. If they wanted him off their team he would oblige. For all they knew a “fallen angel” could be as dangerous as the Grimm. It certainly wasn’t a righteous or heroic label. But it was his sin and burden to bare.

If only he hadn’t been caught.

XxxxxxxxxX

Jaune stepped out with his bedsheet bundled around two large objects and his back completely void of the beautiful black wings. His torso was covered in bandage wraps, and his skin looked even paler than before. His body was still trembling slightly and he could feel his skin getting clammy. This was normal for him right after a wing clipping though. His wings were a major source of his power, so taking them away so quickly and painfully was a traumatic and damaging experience no matter how many times he did it.

Ren and Nora were no longer in the room. Pyrrha was still there, sitting at the windowsill looking at the landscape while rubbing one of his flight feathers between her finger. The champion turned as soon as she heard the door open, her expression unreadable.

“I… got everything cleaned up. You won’t even know anything happened in there.” He smiled awkwardly, but Pyrrha’s expression didn’t change. He looked down at the floor and sighed. Jaune didn’t know what was going through her head, but it couldn’t be anything good. The whole situation left him exhausted, both the mental and physical stresses were too much at the moment. He threw his ruined uniform pants in the laundry hamper and shoved everything else under the bed for now. He’d dispose of the wings after dark. For the time being he carefully laid down on his stomach, being sure to face away from Pyrrha. His back was screaming, and he had a feeling Pyrrha wasn’t comfortable with him currently.

“... how do you feel?” The champion asked much to Jaune’s surprise. He adjusted himself so he could see the girl then, genuine concern on her face.

“... I’ll live.” He finally decided on. Pyrrha approached then, feeling his forehead. She pulled back in surprise, not expecting him to feel so hot.

“You said you’d be fine afterwards.” Pyrrha sounded almost betrayed.

“I will be.” He mumbled. “In a few hours I’ll be my usual goofy self.”

“But-“

“Look, why don’t you amputate your legs and we’ll see how you feel right afterwards…” his eyes shot wide open at realizing what he’d said. He meant to keep that thought to himself, but clearly he failed. He looked up to see Pyrrha already tearing up.

Great.

“I’m sorry.” Jaune rolled into a sitting position trying to withhold a grimace. “I didn’t mean to say that. It’ll be fine.” He gave her a stiff grin. ”And an Arc never goes back on his word.” She couldn’t help the small smile gracing her lips. That was the Pyrrha he liked seeing.

“If you’re alright then I’m going to freshen up.” She stood and walk to the bathroom shutting the door behind her. He buried his face in the pillow with a moan. Why was talking with people always so hard?

XxxxxxxxxX

Jaune laid on his stomach, eyes closed and breathing heavy. He hadn’t been honest with her. When he told the champion he’d recover in a few hours she didn’t expect him to be out cold for six. Pyrrha sat by his bedside all morning trying to do some research of her own, though she hasn’t had much luck. Information on Grimm was far more prevalent than anything regarding angels. She found that the word “angel” translated to messenger. Was Jaune a messenger for the deity he had served? Or did he do more than that? She still had so many questions for her partner, but whether or not he’d answer honestly was another issue entirely.

She placed her scroll aside with a long sigh. The champion glanced at her partner with baited breath. He hadn’t moved once since she went in for a shower. It was impossible to deny how worried she was, no matter what he said to calm her. She couldn’t help but feel guilty either. Pyrrha never suspected something like this was happening. She hadn't even seen the necklace until yesterday. Now that she thought about it, she couldn't remember seeing Jaune without a shirt at any point they roomed together. He brought clothing in with him whenever he showered, and he always either wore that thick hoodie, uniform jacket or dorky onesie.

She reached out to gently feeling his forehead. His smooth skin wasn’t as warm anymore, so his temperature had dropped. It was odd how nice the contact felt to her, and it sent a tingling sensation through her body. Her hands moved in a repetitive soothing motion. She hoped it was as comforting for him as it was for her, though the champion really didn’t know. Jaune had always been so oblivious to her feelings. Was that because of his nature as an angel or just a guy thing? It was an interesting question to think on.

Slowly Pyrrha brought her fingers down to the broken loop around his neck. The metal clasps holding it together were a lighter colour then the other alloy, and were warm like Jaune’s skin. The ore itself was a very dark gray, almost bordering on black. It was ice cold too despite the heat radiating from his skin. What type of metals behaved that way? She wondered if her semblance would work on it, but didn’t want to try without Jaune’s permission.

The angel moaned lightly, Pyrrha pulling her hand back quickly hoping he hadn't noticed her touch. His eyes slowly fluttered open, and it took him a moment to get his bearings.

“Pyrrha?” He grab his scroll and checked the time, eyes widening in surprise. “It’s almost noon. Why aren’t you in class?”

“Well, I wasn’t going to leave you alone in your condition. What if something happened?”

“Nothing was going to happen.” Jaune sighed. “It’s not like this is the first time I’ve clipped them.” Somehow that statement made her feel worse, and Jaune seemed to pick up on it. “What about your perfect attendance?” He tried to change the subject.

“It’s not a big deal, I just took a sick day.” She tried smiling reassuringly, though the thought of skipping school still filled her with some anxiety. “Ren said I could get notes from him later.” He nodded, briefly acknowledging the blanket covering his back before his face turned unreadable. “What’s the matter?” She asked.

“Just wondering when I should move my things out.” Her heart skipped a beat.

“W-Why would you say that?” She practically shouted. He looked rather confused by her reaction.

“I just figured, now that the truth is out, you wouldn’t want an angel of the damned living with you guys, or as a team leader.” Pyrrha covered her mouth in shock and shook her head.

“No! Not at all!” He was genuinely surprised by the outburst, but it was clear he didn’t believe her. She’d have to wait for Ren and Nora’s return to fully explain their feelings, but they certainly didn’t want him to leave. Pyrrha took Jaune’s hand in her own. “I want you to stay. Please.” His face flushed a bit at her contact, but he eventually sighed in resignation.

“We’ll discuss this more later than.” The two went quiet for several minutes Pyrrha unsure how to continue. She still had so many burning questions, but wasn't sure what was appropriate to ask now, if anything. Her eyes quickly fell to the segmented metal around his neck.

“Would you mind telling me about your necklace?” He touched the metal carefully at her inquiry, as if it was some priceless treasure.

“This is my halo, or what’s left of it.”

“Halo?” She asked curiously looking back at the loop. The object certainly appeared odd, but she could never imagine that broken loop ever being something so important. Pyrrha waited a moment for more of an explanation, but it soon became obvious she wasn’t going to get one. His expression alone made it clear this was a sore spot for him.

“So, what were the people like?” Jaune looked up at here questioningly. “The people you watched over in the other realm. Can you tell me about them?” He was silent for a moment trying to collect his thoughts.

“They looked like the humans here.” He began. “But they weren’t as advanced. They only worked in weaker metals like bronze, and reading was a rare skill among them.”

“Really?” She questioned. He nodded in confirmation.

“I do wonder if they’ve managed to advance like you humans have in my absence.” Her face twisted in puzzlement. That was an odd statement. Unless...

“Jaune… how old are you really?” Pyrrha asked slowly.

“Around… four thousand eight hundred seventy five, give or take a few centuries.” He murmured.

“... a-are you serious?” She stammered. Pyrrha had started laughing thinking it was a joke, but the look he gave her clearly said otherwise.

“Angels are immortal beings, some having existed since the dawn of time.” Jaune explained. “Even disgraced ones like me can live forever.”

“That's terrible.” He raised his brow in confusion. “You'd have to witness your loved ones die while you persisted.” He seemed to understand now, resting his chin against the pillow.

“It's just how we are. And the thought had never been a real issue before…”

“Before what?” He went silent after that, fingers twitching in her hold. She withdrew her hand panicking. She hadn’t realised they were still holding hands. Jaune blushed a bit but looked sad at losing her touch. Pyrrha wasn’t sure what to do, clutching both hands tightly together in her lap. He sat up on the bed then, gazing into her eyes carefully. She couldn’t help but be enraptured by them. They had always been a gorgeous deep blue colour, but for a second she swore the evening sky itself was reflected in them. Suddenly the door crashed open with a loud bang.

“We made breakfast!” Nora burst in trying to sound extra chipper. She and Ren were both holding stacks of pancakes, the one in Nora’s hand already half the size of her partner’s.

“Actually we made breakfast for lunch.” Ren corrected.

“What are you two doing back? Classes aren’t done for the day yet.” Pyrrha question with a chuckle.

“We thought you two might be hungry.” Ren responded. Nora gave them both empty plates letting them get there own portions. Jaune couldn’t help smiling when she handed out forks.

“Something wrong?” The champion questioned. He shook his head.

“Nah, just reminded me of the first time I tried eating. The situation was very similar.”

“First time?” Pyrrha repeated trying to process his statement.

“OH! Story time!” Nora zipped to the bed and sat excitedly, Ren pulling up his own chair to listen. Jaune was about to explain when the door burst open again, the entirety of team RWBY standing in the entryway.

“Are you okay Pyrrha?” Ruby questioned. “Weiss has been so worried since hearing you were sick.”

“I was not!” Weiss huffed. “I just thought she would like to use my notes to help stay caught up.”

“Ren said he’d let me use his, but I appreciate the offer.” Pyrrha smiled.

“How are you feeling by the way?” The heiress continued.

“Oh, I’m feeling… much better.” She lied. “It must have been a stomach bug.”

“That’s great to hear!” Yang gave a thumbs up in approval. “I was hoping we could spar each other soon.”

“Of course Yang. It would be an honour.” Pyrrha bowed her head slightly. Blake wasn’t adding much to the conversation, her amber eyes completely focused on the angel.

“Jaune, what happened?” Blake questioned. Her voice was dead serious. The other girls finally noticed the bandage wrap around his stomach and back.

“That looks pretty nasty Vomit Boy.” Yang grimaced. “What did you do?”

“Oh, it was just a stupid training accident.” Jaune laughed awkwardly. “We were just-“

“Practicing team attacks!” Nora jumped in. “I went a little overboard.” The bomber grinned as if she hadn’t just said a complete lie.

“You guys have team attacks to?!” Ruby’s eyes sparkled with excitement. “What do you and Jaune call yours?”

“Uhhh… What?” Nora asked confused.

“Your team attack name! How else do you know when to use it in battle?” Ruby questioned with a raised brow.

“Oh,THAT team attack name! Of course we have one!” Nora laughed only to realised she forced herself in a corner. Ren just facepalmed while his partner tried to salvage the lie. “We call our combo…. ummm-“

“Nora’s Arc.” Jaune interrupted much to everyone’s surprise. The members of team JNPR smiled wide all hoping that would suffice. Ruby’s face became tense for a second, though nobody was sure why.

“Team meeting!” Ruby announced quickly.

“Uh, why do we need-“

“I said now!” She pulled her teammates together and started whispering amongst them. Despite Ruby’s attempts at subtly she was still easily heard.

“Guys! We need to up our game!” Ruby told them.

“Up our game how?” Yang asked.

“With our team attack names! Did you not hear how great theirs sounded?”

“I think Bang for Yang and I is fine.” Blake stated.

“It’s good but we can do better!”

“Should we give you four some privacy?” Pyrrha asked. Ruby seemed to forget they were in JNPR’s room, face going red in embarrassment.

“Sorry!” Ruby floundered. She checked her scroll only to yelp with surprise. “Guys! Lunch is almost over!” She grabbed Weiss and yanked her down the hallway. Yang just snickered at their antics.

“You two have a ‘pan’tastic day.” She winked before following her teammates. Blake waited for a moment, looking Jaune and Pyrrha over suspiciously. Of course she called their bluff. Blake had already witnessed far too much this morning. Thankfully the faunus didn’t comment, slowly turning to quietly leave. Everyone else gave a sigh of relief.

“That was close!” Nora exhaled.

“We should probably get back to class though.” Ren commented. “Goodwitch might get suspicious if the whole team is absent from sparring.”

“Good point.” Pyrrha agreed. “We’ll see you two at dinner then?”

“Sounds good!” Nora grabbed her books and rushed from the dormroom. Ren shook his head but looked at Jaune with a stern expression.

“Also, your secrets safe with us.” The darker haired boy told him before leaving.

“Thanks guys.” Jaune said quietly. He looked about ready to tear up, happy to hear that his teammates still had his back.

“I told you. We don’t want a new team member.” Pyrrha smiled warmly. He nodded before sticking a bit of pancake in his mouth. Pyrrha went to cut a piece for herself, musing over their conversation with team RWBY.

“Nora’s Arc has a good ring to it.” Pyrrha chuckled.

“I’m surprised Yang didn’t say anything.” Jaune shrugged. “That attack name was a pun.” Pyrrha wracked her brain for several seconds but couldn’t find the joke. “I’ll explain it later. I guess it didn’t translate to this world very well.”

“So, what would be our attack name?” She asked playfully. He bit down hard in surprise, pulling the fork from his mouth and swallowing. “I… don’t know. I hadn’t really thought about it.” She glanced at his silverware before laughing uncontrollably.

“Perhaps the fork destroyers?” He questioningly glance at his hand realizing he’d bit clean through the metal prongs and swallowed them. Now only a few pathetic stubs remained.

“Yeah.” He sighed in defeat. “This is exactly like the first time I tried eating.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next part is here and it turned out being a monster of a chapter. Of you stumble upon grammatical errors I apologize. Since I don’t have a beta reader I do all the editing and sometimes things get missed. If you happen upon any jarring mistakes let me know and I’ll fix them.
> 
> Hope you all enjoy!


	5. Flounder

The next week was rather uneventful. Fliers had been posted advertising the upcoming school dance in a few weeks, and several dorms in their hallway were being prepped for the arrival of visiting students. The Vytal Festival would be coming up this semester and the faculty were already in full on prep mode. At least things were calmer among her own teammates. Jaune had been acting like the dork she’d come to know, and nobody suspected anything. Except for Blake. She was keeping a far closer eye on all the members of team JNPR lately, though her attention seemed to be split with something else troubling.

Pyrrha and Jaune stepped out of Oobleck’s classroom shortly after the bell rang. They passed a few students chatting about the upcoming dance looking at a flier.

“So what is the appeal of these dances?” Jaune asked much to her surprise.

“Well it’s a fun event that you can spend with your friends, or a date. It’s also a memorable way to usher in the Vytal Festival.” She explained.

“So like a celebration?” Jaune pondered.

“Yes. Didn’t humans dance back in your home realm?”

“Yes, but it was never anything this organised. There was usually a bonfire and humans would leap and frolic around it. It was mostly done for religious ceremonies or when food was plentiful.” He watched as a few girls looked after some upperclassmen giggling. “So the goal is to ask someone to attend the dance with you?”

“W-well yes.” Pyrrha looked to the floor blushing lightly. “Were you… thinking of asking anyone?

“At first I considered asking Weiss.” Pyrrha’s heart immediately sank. “Honestly though, my main reason for pursuing her was to try and appear more human. She would always say no so it was a low risk move. Now that you three know about my secret I… don’t feel like I need to.”

“Really?” Pyrrha questioned with fresh hope. “Perhaps there is another person you’d go with?”

“I wouldn’t want to take the fun away from any mortals.” Jaune shook his head. “The guys ask girls correct? Surely you’ve already been pursued by someone.”

“You’d be surprised…” Pyrrha sigh uncomfortably. He couldn’t help but genuinely laugh at the thought.

“Oh please.” The angel scoffed. “If you don’t get asked to the dance I’ll wear a dress.” The champion looked off to the side a bit hurt. The conversation ended once they entered Glynda’s classroom. The two took their seats without much issue and waited for the bell the ring. Professor Goodwitch entered with her head held high as usual. She checked her clipboard before looking to the class.

“Good day students.” Ms. Goodwitch stated while adjusting her glasses. “As I’m sure you’re aware the Vytal Festival will be held at the end of this semester. In preparation for the event, the other three huntsman academies across Remnant have sent their own students to battle for their kingdoms.” She walked to the side of the arena and made a brisk movement with her arm, summoning several new students in different coloured uniforms to step forward. “This particular class will be host to several visiting students, which I’m sure you are all eager to meet. We have two members from team SSSN of Haven Academy, Sun Wukong and Neptune Vasilias.” The two boys gave slick waves and winks to different girls in the audience. She continued to introduce some Vacuo students, but Pyrrha was more distracted by the monkey faunus.

“Hey, isn’t that Blake’s new friend?” Pyrrha questioned but didn’t get an answer. She looked over to her team leader, seeing his hands clenched and pupils the size of pinpricks. He was intensely staring at one of the new students on stage, though she couldn’t tell who.

“Also from Haven we have three members of team CMSN, Cinder Fall, Mercury Black, and Emerald Sustrai.” Glynda announced. Pyrrha took a closer look at the students, briefly locking eyes with a black haired girl hosting bright amber eyes. The woman’s gaze smoothly transitioned to Jaune before her face twisted with a light smirk.

“Jaune, do you know her?... Jaune?” He still wasn’t listening, his eyes completely locked with Cinder’s. The champion placed a hand on Jaune’s shoulder jolting him back to reality.

“I’m sorry, what?” Jaune stammered trying to regain composure. He still looked flustered despite his best attempts at calming. Pyrrha just watched him worriedly.

“I was just-“

“Would everyone please be respectful to our guest.” The professor announced looking at the two with narrowed eyes. “Don’t forget you are ALL representing Beacon.” Pyrrha smiled apologetically and went quiet, still glancing over at her partner periodically. He never stopped staring at Cinder, whom had already taken a seat with her teammates. 

The matches went on as usual without either of them being called up for once. It was a very long class period, and she swore the tension her partner felt was contagious. She had no idea what it was about Cinder, but her presence set him off in a weird way. Wait, could they have dated at one point? Pyrrha dreaded thinking about that, especially since she always thought her team leader was so innocent. Then again, he is a five thousand year old fallen angel. She supposed he wasn’t actually as naive as she liked to believe.

Finally the bell rang and students filed out of their seats. Pyrrha waited a few minutes hoping her partner would collect himself enough to speak.

“Jaune. Are you alright?” Pyrrha questioned again. It was a couple second before he answered.

“Fine.” The angel grabbed his books and turned towards the door, something heavy weighing on his mind.

“Wait!” He slowed down while Pyrrha quickly collected her things and jogged to catch up. “Clearly you are not fine. Did something happen?” He looked conflicted, but eventually took a deep breath.

“Listen, now is really not the time-“

“Hello there.” The two turned around seeing a green haired student with a darker complexion. It was Emerald from Cinder’s team.

“A pleasure to meet you. My name is Pyrrha Nikos, and this is my partner Jaune.” She smiled. Jaune didn’t say anything, remaining unusually stiff through the whole encounter.

“It’s nice to meet the famous champion in the flesh.” Emerald smiled tensely. “I actually noticed your friend dropped something.” She held up a black leather wallet, which Jaune quickly snatched up. He opened it and started checking his cards.

“Thanks for returning it.” He breathed after a thorough examination.

“Any time. Now I have to get moving. See you two later.” She quickly walked away while Pyrrha waved her off.

“Well that was very kind of her, don’t you think?” Pyrrha questioned. He wasn’t paying attention again, too busy reading a scrap of paper he’d pulled from his wallet. She could vaguely make out the words ‘pavilion’ and ‘9:00 pm’ on the sheet in cursive handwriting. “What is that?” She asked. He could only shake his head while shoving the scrap in his pocket.

“It’s nothing.” He stated. “Listen, I’m going to be about twenty minutes late to our training session tonight. I promise we’ll talk more about it then.”

“That’s perfectly fine. May I ask why you’ll be late?” She questioned hoping he would slip up with an actual answer.

“Just some business I have to take care of.” Jaune walked briskly to his next class leaving Pyrrha in the dust. That was certainly strange. She had never seen her partner act so oddly before, and all because of that Cinder woman. 

Could… could they really have a serious history together? What if she was an ex-girlfriend? Or worse, a psychotic ex-girlfriend that meant him harm? She may have to talk to Ren and Nora about this.

XxxxxxxxxX

Pyrrha’s worry only increased as the day went on. Jaune was acting very distracted during Professor Port’s lecture, and he didn’t even show up for dinner that evening. She went to the dorm room soon after hoping to find her partner. Sadly he wasn’t there, only Ren and Nora working on some homework together.

“Hi P-money!” Nora smiled at her arrival. Ren looked up only for his expression to fall ever so slightly.

“Did something happen?” He asked. Pyrrha placed her bag on the floor before taking a heavy seat by the window sill.

“It’s just… in Glynda’s class something happened. Perhaps you two would have some insight?”

“Sounds juicy!” Nora hopped over to her bed sitting cross legged. Ren placed his book down and waited patiently for her to speak.

“Today the visiting students were introduced in class. It was going fine until she announced the name Cinder Fall.” She rubbed her arm uncomfortably looking towards the floor. “Jaune couldn’t stop staring at her. It was like he was completely enraptured in her presence, but in a bad way.”

“What kind of bad way?” Nora questioned.

“As if they had a history together.” She breathed out. 

“Well, he is over four thousand years old.” Ren added. “He’s probably had many relationships in that time.”

“I bet he’s been with hundreds of people!” Nora said a little too eagerly. “He’s had plenty of time at the very least. I wonder how many ex-lovers he’s been with?” That just made Pyrrha feel worse, and she wasn’t even finished speaking.

“Then there was the note.” Ren and Nora both went quiet. “Cinder’s teammate gave him a note after class.”

“Do you know what it said?” Ren asked.

“I could only make out the words ‘pavillion’ and ‘9:00 pm.” She looked to them desperately. The two partners glanced at each other as if coming to the same conclusion.

“Your right. They totally have a history.” Nora answered. “And if they plan to meet in a romantic place like the pavillion, I think your chances with him are blown.” 

“This can’t be happening!” Pyrrha groaned burying her face in her hands. How could this happen? She found herself closer with Jaune then she ever thought possible, and now his former lover shows up out of the blue to ruin everything!

“It might not be that bad.” Ren tried to reassure. “We could always talk to him about it.”

“But not until after their meeting.” Pyrrha said glancing at her scroll. It would be nine o’clock in thirty minutes, and she doubted he’d speak over the phone about this. 

“You know what this calls for?” Nora asked with a devious grin. “Espionage!” She rushed into her closet and ran back out in a black t-shirt and leggings.

“Isn’t that invading his privacy?” Pyrrha questioned nervously.

“Do you WANT to lose Jaune to this Cinder chick forever?” 

“No! I mean, of course not…” The champion trailed off. She wanted to know what was going on, and Jaune was notorious for keeping secrets. He might not answer honestly once the meeting was finally over. This may be her best bet in finding the truth. “Alright, I’m in.”

“Excellent.” Nora rubbed her hands together in anticipation. “Let’s go team! We don’t have much time!” Ren shrugged and followed his partner, Pyrrha close behind. She just prayed this was all a big misunderstanding. 

XxxxxxxxxX

The three members of team JNPR made it to the pavillion in record time, each one quickly finding places to hide. Ren choose the shadow on a second story arch while the two girls got themselves situated in a bush below. It was very calm in the hooded pavillion. The fountain in the middle provided a beautify background noise to the dim setting, currently lit by a couple lamps along the walls. 

Then she appeared, strutting to the center of the room with the distinct sound of heels clacking against concrete. Cinder was wearing a more casual outfit. Tight pants and a simple vest over a white crop top. She had a small pauldron on one shoulder, and upon closer inspection it appeared the woman was wearing bandage wraps around her hip area. She looked very beautiful yet oddly dangerous. Cinder’s mere presence caused a sharp shiver to travel up Pyrrha’s spine, and even Nora shifted uncomfortably. The champion was just glad she had grabbed her weapon earlier. At least having it on her back proved a small sense of comfort.

Footfall of another person followed a few minutes later, their team leader stepping into view with his normal combat attire. His mannerisms were very different though, and instead of the usual awkward dork they knew stood a calm almost intimidating figure. Jaune wore a straight face and exuded an odd threatening energy.

“I was wondering when you’d get here.” Cinder turned around with a mischievous smirk. Jaune just stood quietly for a few moments, eyeing her up carefully. Her smouldering orange eyes locked with his glowing blue ones, the gravity around them almost seeming to increase. Suddenly the energy vanished, things becoming calm when Cinder began chuckling.

“Lucifer. It’s been a while.” The woman finally nodded in greeting.

“Hello to you too.” Jaune said with a slight bow of his head. “Archangel Uriel.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A shorter chapter then the others but I got it done very quickly. Not sure how familiar people are with angels meantioned in scripture outside of the Bible, but Uriel is one of seven named archangels. Only three or four of them are mentioned in the actual bible. It’s actually a very interesting topic to read research.
> 
> Also, if anyone is interested in being a beta reader for this thing feel free to hit me up. I’m missing more mistakes then I care for and I think and extra set of eyes before publishing would be very helpful.
> 
> Enjoy! Let me now your thoughts.


	6. Fall

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’d like to thank Maldevinine for beta reading this chapter. I like it a lot more now and am very happy to have their assistance.
> 
> Enjoy! Let me know what you guys think!

Human souls are like wisps. Each is a white flame centered in a mortal’s chest, accumulating dark spots over time indicating their sins. An angel’s soul is a different matter entirely. Their souls are like bonfires by comparison, triple the size of their physical form and burning brighter than most stars. For Jaune spotting his fellow angel was an easy matter. Unfortunately he couldn’t read minds like he could souls, and already knew Uriel wouldn’t be easy to crack.

Jaune watched his fellow angel cautiously. Archangel Uriel, the angel of repentance. The flame of God, known for being as merciless as a demon. Had it been any other angel he wouldn't be so worried, but the fact that Uriel stood before him could only mean one thing. Lucifer had done something worthy of penitence, and he was currently far outclassed by the creature before him. At the very least she didn’t need to find out.

“Though I'm glad you remember me, perhaps we should stick to our “human” names for now.” Uriel, or Cinder as she preferred, stated with air quotes.

“That's probably best.” Jaune agreed. He honestly didn’t care what they called each other. There were more pressing matters to attend to. “So, how did you find me?”

“It's always about business with you.” Cinder shook her head in exasperation. “Honestly we thought you had disintegrated or something. That is, until a poor ruptured soul showed up at our doorstep for judgment.” He stared at Cinder questioningly. How was that unusual? “I can tell you're still confused. That should be normal, right? Except this soul was sent to the wrong afterlife. The broken spirit belonged to a certain Percival McLeach.” Jaune’s eyes went wide, suddenly reminded of a familiar villain that threatened the Arc sisters all those years ago. He thought he had just killed the man and sent him to his final destination. Jaune didn’t know the afterlives were different! 

“You should be happy to know that by smiting him you sent the poor man's soul on a wretched journey through time and space. It’s a fate even worse than hell.” She took advantage of his shocked state and moved closer, getting a better look at her former friend.

“You’ve certainly changed.” Cinder commented while circling him.

“The same can be said for you.” Jaune shot back. It took him a moment to recover, already giving control of this meeting to Cinder. “I distinctly remember your form being male.” She only smirked at his words choosing to ignore them.

“You cut your hair, and your eyes were always glowing. I never knew they were blue.”

“Maybe we should skip the pleasantries.” Jaune finally said getting uncomfortable under her judging gaze.

“Not just yet. I want to know how you survived.” Jaune looked at her with a raised brow. Cinder just tapped her heel impatiently. “Stop playing dumb. That blow Michael delivered should have killed you, or at the very least burned your wings to ash. Yet here you stand.” She finally came full circle and placed her hand under his chin. Cinder gazed into his eyes attempting to judge his soul. Her pupils widened as realization slowly set in.

“Fascinating.” She twisted Jaune’s head side to side before finally stepping back. “You really don't remember, do you?”

“If it involves how I ended up here, then no.” He stated hoping to finally get some answers. “Would you be willing to enlighten me?” Cinder could only chuckle.

“Now where’s the fun in that?” She smirked. “I wasn't sent here to help you remember your stupid blunders. The only reason I wanted to meet was to learn one thing. Though your lapse in memory presents an issue.” Cinder looked him over and shrugged. “Remove your shirt.” Jaune narrowed his eyes. He had an idea of what she wanted to see, and he wasn't going to let her after mouthing off to him.

“Only if you tell me what happened.”

“Really?” She questioned looking bored. “Very well. I'll give you some information, and in exchange I see your scars. Deal?” Cinder held up her hand, and Jaune clasped it letting their magic seal the pact. They stepped away from each other and Jaune quickly removed his chest plate and hoodie. To any mortal the only visible flaws in his skin were the vertical wing slits on his back, but Cinder knew better. The other angel stepped up to him and quickly undid the camouflage around his torso, revealing a massive burn around his left peck, ribs and shoulder. The scarring surrounded what looked like deep slash wounds, the marks far worse around the center. She leaned down and ran her hand along the raised tissue, finally coming up to his shattered halo.

“Impossible.” She breathed noticing the rough condition it was left in. “You used your halo to dampen the blow.”

“I did?” She ignored him, instead stepping behind to view his wing slits. 

“And why would you cut these off? Hiding them from mortals should be an easy task.” Jaune remained quiet, not willing to say the truth. She looked to him sternly. The disgust on her face was clear as day. “Grow them back.”

“No.” Jaune stated. “That wasn’t part of the deal. Now hold up to your end of the bargain.” She looked over to a set of bushes thinking momentarily before shrugging.

“Very well.” She summoned a knife out of thin air, but not using her angelic powers. No, this was what humans called semblances. “Fascinating, isn’t it?” She admired the glass object in her hand, running a finger along the sharpened end. “Humans have access to such great powers in this world, and evidently so do we.” Cinder placed her fingers around his face and the knife to his shoulder. “Tell me, have you discovered your “semblance” yet? Or are you a failure in that department too?”

She jolted him with enough electricity to break his aura, plunging the knife under his clavicle. Then it happened. Scrambled images of a battle in the sky flooded his mind but he couldn’t sort any of them. He was facing down an army, thunder and heavy winds raging around him. Archangel Michael clad in glowing white armour summoned a flaming sword preparing for a final blow-

“JAUNE!” A familiar voice brought him back to reality, his eyes widening in shock. Pyrrha had leapt from the bushes and threw her spear at Cinder forcing her to jump back. It ricocheted off the concrete and back to her hand as she spun to face the dangerous angel. Nora jumped out too with her hammer ready and Ren close behind. 

“Are you alright?” Ren rushed over while the girls took defensive positions. Jaune pulled the knife out himself, hardly noticing the blood dripping as his shock turned to fear. 

“What are you three doing?!” Jaune hissed. Ren looked at the wound before realizing it was almost closed already. “You need to leave!”

“Aren’t these your teammates?” Cinder inquired making his heart drop. His skin was crawling at the shear venom in her voice. She knew they were there the whole time, and the weapon was just bait. Jaune was well aware that a glass knife wouldn’t really hurt him, but they weren’t. “It would seem they’ve heard far too much to be released. Of course I’ll do the responsible thing.” Her wings sprouted in a gleaming beam of light, snow white feathers sparkling in the moonlight. Several dozen arrows formed out of ripples in the air above her, aimed directly at his friends.

“NO!” Jaune rushed forward right as the arrows flew, his magic pulling and a light shield forming above the group. The arrows collided creating dazzling explosions against the barrier.

“Jaune…” Pyrrha whispered. He knew what she was gawking at. He forced his wings to grow with the little power he’d saved up over the week, though it wasn’t enough for them to fully form.

“So you clipped them recently.” Cinder commented, retracting her wings and floating lightly to her feet. Her eyes were immediately drawn to his scarred up left wing, the harsh sounds of her laughter echoing through the pavilion. “So Michael’s attack did damage your wing! You're far less of a threat then I first thought.”

“We’re more than a match for you.” Nora growled, but that just made Cinder laugh harder.

“Poor Lucifer.” She taunted flipping the hair from her eyes. “You were once the strongest among us, and look how far you’ve fallen.”

“Enough!” Pyrrha held her weapon Milo and stood ready to pounce. “What do you want from him?!” 

Cinder completely ignored her looking at Jaune instead. “You should focus more on keeping your pets in line.” His anger flared at the insult. That was the final straw.

“Silence!” Jaune spoke at triple the volume, his eyes and wings starting to glow yellow. “Do not think yourself a god here! I know you're cut off from the Lord in this realm!”

“True, like you I must rely on my own strength here. At the very least, however, I’m not working with damaged goods.” Jaune puffed his wings up at her statement. He was sorely tempted to start attacking her, but knew the battle would destroy half the school. He was also painfully aware of how right she was. 

“I suppose I’ll let them live for now.” Cinder turned to exit the other side of the pavilion. “You’ve grown far too attached to these mortals Lucifer, but that’s not my problem. Though, that should give you plenty of incentive to keep them… restrained.” She broke a branch off a nearby bush and scorched it to ashes in her grasp, smiling devilishly before finally heading back to the dorms. All four JNPR members were left in a tense silence, except for the trickling water noises from that damn fountain. Jaune stood with his back to the group. His mind was a hurricane of thoughts and emotions; worry, dread and anger all fighting for dominance. Uriel was planning something. She was definitely the threat seen in his dreams and he was useless. He couldn’t even try bluffing like he first planned! All because of his teammates interfering.

Finally the champion took a few steps forward. “Jaune? Are you-“

“What were you three thinking?!” Jaune interrupted Pyrrha causing her to step back. “I told you we’d talk about this later!”

“I was worried about you.” Pyrrha tried to defend herself but her voice was weak with guilt. “And then she stabbed you-”

“She was completely ready to kill you! If I hadn’t intervened-“

“We just wanted to help!” Nora interjected angrily. “Why are you being so mean?!” 

“Because she’s an otherworldly being capable of leveling half the city in one strike!” He was shaking in anger trying to real his magic back in. It was ready to spark out in uncontrolled burst of electricity, causing his hair to stand on end. Oddly it just made him more frightening. “It doesn’t matter how strong any of you are! She could have roasted you easily!” 

“And you would have done better?!” 

“No! Because apparently due to a strike from my own kin my powers are permanently dampened! I can’t risk her wrath!” He was breathing heavily trying to keep control. He could feel energy surge as his eyes flashed. That seemed to get the others attention as they all took a step back. Jaune turned to glare at the fountain that wouldn’t shut up! Summoning several swords he obliterated the thing in a few hits. A loose pipe continued spewing water through the rock rubble of a once beautiful centerpiece. He stared at it, refusing to look at his teammates directly. Finally his voice broke in the only words he could still muster.

 

“Quid enim feci...?” His voice shook in an odd language. “Ambo te ignosce me.” He spread his wings and took off into the night, ignoring Pyrrha shouting for him to stop. He couldn’t be around them right now. Jaune was still too angry and wouldn’t risk harming them accidentally. He clumsily flew over the Emerald Forest before roughing landing in a small clearing. Setting his sword and shield aside he cracked his knuckles preparing to really let loose. Jaune prepped is magic while an entire hoard of Grimm honed in on his negative emotions, but that didn’t scare him in the slightest. This was going to be a bloodbath.

Within ten minutes a dozen Beowolves had gathered to watch him closely. They were followed by several ursa and a king taijitu. Finally a couple of the beowolves worked up the courage to approach, bearing their teeth and stalking closer. He waited until the Grimm were mere feet away before opening his glowing yellow eyes. The beast pounced and he used a light shield to knock it back. The others followed suit snarling and foaming at the mouth. Jaune opened his wings and they dully lit up as several dozen swords formed overhead. With a swing of his arm the weapons impaled every Grimm in their path. Bodies and trees fell left and right as the impact shook the surrounding area. Within seconds the only Grimm left was the large two headed snake that quickly slithered away.

“That’s a shame.” Jaune huffed.

‘Are you sure about that?’

He spun around at the familiar voice. It was a large red colored snake with curled horns sitting in the clearing a few feet away. He knew this serpent all too well.

“What are you doing here?” Jaune growled. How did that snake enter Remnant?

‘I bond with all fallen angels.’ It hissed. ‘The moment you fell we became one.’

“Liar!” The angel summoned several swords impaling the thing, watching it dissipate into nothingness. Panting Jaune slumped against a tree and slid to the ground. He needed to think of a plan. Jaune wouldn’t be able to defeat an angel like Uriel. Even in peak form she’d prove challenging. He needed a new strategy.

‘We could work together.’ Jaune looked up to see the serpent had returned. It tilted its head a bit as if trying to sympathize. ‘If our powers became one you’d gain the strength to destroy her for good. Don’t you want to protect these mortals?’ Jaune didn’t bother forming a full fledged sword, zapping the beast with enough electricity to burst into flames. He watched the snake vanish a second thinking hard on his next move.

Damage control. If nothing else he could try to dampen the fallout of whatever was coming, and the best method for that was contacting the headmaster. He was going to try dreamwalking. 

Before that, however, he needed to find a way to protect his friends. Just the mere idea of his teammates getting slaughtered made his stomach churn. He needed to figure something out for them too, and soon.

XxxxxxxxxX

Pyrrha sat at the dinner table pushing her mashed potatoes and pork back and forth. Jaune ran off almost two days ago and he still hasn’t returned. Nora was clearly concerned tapping her foot anxiously and her normal smile completely absent. Even Ren was acting odd, staring out the cafeteria window hoping to see a familiar winged figure fly by. The members of team RWBY all noticed the others odd behaviour, as well as the lack of their awkward leader.

“Hey, do you know why Jaune's been absent?” Ruby asked Pyrrha worriedly. “I asked Glynda and she said it was a family emergency.” The champion blinked. Jaune notified the professors? Does that mean he plans to be gone for a while? Did they upset him that badly?!

“P-money? You still with us?” Yang poked her shoulder snapping the red head back to reality.

“S-Sorry.” Pyrrha stuttered. “Jaune said it was a… personal matter. He’d rather we not talk about it.” Ren nodded playing along with the lie, Nora looking away guiltily. 

Weiss just sipped her tea and huffed. “Maybe we’ll get lucky and he won’t come back.”

“Why would you say that?” Ruby asked. It wasn’t a secret that Weiss didn’t like Jaune, but usually she kept her thoughts quiet when Jaune and his teammates were around. Apparent the blondes absence was enough for her to speak up.

“He’s such a talentless dunce. How he was ever selected as a team leader is a mystery.” 

“Hey! That’s our fearless leader you're talking about!” Nora slammed her hands on the table for emphasis. Pyrrha winced but said nothing. She couldn’t stop thinking about the pavilion. The way Cinder mocked him, that Jaune was once the strongest but no longer. How he rushed forward without a second thought when Cinder tried to kill them. On top of that the woman terrified him, but he still defended them regardless of the risk.

“No offense to you three of course.” Weiss added. “But he isn’t a skilled fighter or student. I still don’t understand how he was accepted, or chosen over any of you for the leadership roll.” Blake and Yang both looked away uncomfortably. Neither wanted to be involved with leg breaker Nora getting this upset.

“Shut up.” Everyone turned in shock not believing their ears. Pyrrha was looking at her plate angrily, clearly fuming over Weiss’ statement.

“I beg your pardon?” Weiss asked with an air of disbelief.

“I said… Shut. Up.” She looked up at the heiress spitefully. “You know nothing about Jaune. He’s been through far more than you could ever imagine, and faced things that would leave you a crying mess.”

“Yeah!” Nora agreed. “Jaune would never back down and fights till the end! He’s a great leader and you're just jealous!” Weiss scoffed at the absurdity. 

“As if I’d be jealous of having that desperate fool as a leader.”

Ren looked over with narrowed eyes finishing up his coffee. “At least he doesn’t talk poorly about others behind their backs.”

“Excuse me?!” The heiress sounded offended. Pyrrha finally had enough at that point, standing up straight and taking her tray. She motioned for Ren and Nora to follow suit and they did so without hesitation. They walked off without looking back even though Ruby begged for them to wait. Pyrrha could hear Blake and Yang scolding Weiss for her outburst, but she didn’t think it would do any good.

They left the cafeteria and headed back to their dorm in silence. All three vaguely hoped they’d spot Jaune in the way back, but of course that was all wishful thinking.

“Hey guys?” Ren and Pyrrha turned to see a very subdued Nora rubbing her arm uncomfortable. “What should we do if he doesn’t come back?”

“He’ll return. He has to…” Pyrrha reassured placing a hand on her shoulder, though she still had some lingering doubts. 

“Perhaps if he’s not back by tomorrow we should search for him?” Ren suggested. The girls both agreed as they came up to their dorm room. They needed to apologize for the other day, and they were going to do it soon.

Ren unlocked the door and the three stepped inside. He turned on the lights only to find a note on Jaune’s desk. Their leader’s travel bag was also missing along with his gardening shears and first aid kit. Nora rushed over excitedly.

“It’s from Jaune!” The other two gathered around eager to read the note. It was short and straight to the point.

‘Meet me at the ruins in the Emerald Forest in two days. I’ll be waiting.’

‘P. S. Bring books regarding fairy tales, myths, religion, and your world’s creation stories.’

“He’s okay!” Nora celebrated, but Ren and Pyrrha were both more hesitant. Why would he want stories on myths and fairy tales? What good would those do? And why meet that far out from the school?

“Hurry up you two!” Nora grabbed their hands and yanked them to the door. “Jaune wants books so let’s get him books!” Suddenly she paused getting a good look at the door. Dark red paint was now smeared around the frame, each line created in one single big stroke. 

“Nora, did you happen to go overboard with arts and crafts?” Ren questioned.

“I swear it wasn’t me this time!” The bomber defended. Pyrrha took a closer look at the paint, chipping at it with her finger nail. It slowly dawned on her that this wasn’t actually paint.

“It’s blood.” The two glanced at her surprised. “Someone smeared blood around our door frame.” Everyone was silent trying to figure out who could have done it. Ren was the first to speak up.

“Do you think Jaune did this?”

“He wouldn’t!” Pyrrha defended. This was far too creepy to be remotely related to her partner. Why would he even do something like this?

“I think he did.” Nora piped up unfolding more of the note. “It says ‘P.P.S. Don’t touch the seals around the door and window.’” Ren pulled the curtains back seeing a second set of bloody strips. The three looked at each other unsure what to do.

“I think we’ll… ask him about it when we see him.” Pyrrha shakily decided. The other two nodded and quickly exited the room, deciding to complete their previous library mission. Hopefully Jaune would have a good explanation for this.


	7. Fight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Special thanks to Maldevinine for beta reading this chapter. They definitly helped improve how it reads and I’m greatfully for their assistance.
> 
> Let me know what you think!

Ren, Pyrrha and Nora hiked through the forest with camping gear strapped to their backs. They had already been walking for most of the afternoon. Oddly enough the farther they walked the fewer Grimm they encountered.

“Is it just me or is the forest rather quiet?” Pyrrha commented, keeping an eye out for potential threats. Not that there were any. They had only encountered a few Beowolves pretty early on, and even that was pretty sparse considering the things they encountered during initiation.

“Maybe it has something to do with the blood seals?” Nora suggested pointing upwards. Sure enough a bloody marking adorned what was left of a stone entryway, matching the marks in their dorm room. 

“I guess that means we’re going the right way at least.” Ren added. The three passed under the archway in relative silence, making their way to the pedestals that once held the relics for initiation. Now they stood empty, with no sign of their leader except an arrow drawn on the stone floor in blood. It pointed to a second archway leading to stairs carved in the mountainside, another blood seal drawn above this one too.

“Is it just me or is fearless leader going a little crazy with the blood trails?” Nora commented uncomfortably. Pyrrha didn’t respond, though she was think the same thing. She didn’t want to imagine how Jaune got his hands on so much blood. Was it his own or someone else’s? She shuddered just imagining her leader harming an innocent. He would never do something so cruel… right?

They entered the passageway indicated by the arrows, climbing up several hundred eroding steps as the sound of rushing water became louder and louder. After thirty minutes they reached the top, all going slack jawed at the sight. The remains of a grand building was spread all around them. Parts of the stone walls were still standing with the rest scattered in large blocks across the tall grass. Not far away was a small lake leading into a waterfall, the source somewhere under the mountain. Oddly there was a more recently made stone altar with bones and a ram's hide draped across, and a familiar winged figure kneeling in front of it.

“Jaune!” Nora bound forward and tackled the blonde in a tight hug. He looked up at the bomber and gave her a small hug back. Pyrrha and Ren also approached, but more hesitantly until Nora pulled them into a big group hug. After a moment Jaune moved back getting a good look over his teammates. Pyrrha took the chance to do the same, noticing her partner was dressed differently. His normal hoodie and chest plate were left back at the dorms. Instead he wore a black long sleeve zip up with a little Pumpkin Pete rabbit on the chest. There were slits in the back of it for his wings, which already looked bigger and more developed then when they last saw each other. He also had a white pillowcase over his shoulder for some reason.

“Jaune.” Pyrrha breathed. “I wanted to apologize for the other day. It wasn’t right to get involved in you personal business like that.”

“We’re also sorry.” Ren stated with Nora nodding along.

“Don’t be.” Jaune sighed. “I should be the one apologizing.” That seemed to catch all of them off guard. “I never told you how dangerous Angels can be, and I think that gave you all a false sense of security. I can only blame myself for that.”

“To be honest I’d like to know.” Pyrrha held her arm and looked to the ground. “You’ve never summoned a shield or weapons in front of us before.”

“Well, it’s a good thing I plan to rectify that. Drop your stuff off and we’ll get started.” 

“We’re going to spar?” Nora asked excitedly. Jaune nodded to her glee as she quickly took everyone’s camping gear and threw it in a pile. The Angel led the three a little ways out from the ruins to a more open area, one surrounded by trees and tall grass. He pulled the pillow case from his shoulder and tied it loosely to his belt.

“What’s with the pillowcase?” Ren asked.

“Good question.” Jaune answered. “I didn’t want this to be overly serious, so your job is to get the cloth from around my waist.” He crossed his arms and stood ready, not bothering to take his sword from its sheath. The three looked at Jaune skeptically, trying to figure out if he was serious or not. Finally Nora started laughing hysterically. 

“That’s a good one Jaune!” She waved him off only to realize she was the only one laughing.

“I’m serious.” Jaune answered. “I think this will be a great way to get my point across. Start whenever you’re ready, though I’d recommend attacking as a team.” The bomber was the only one stepping forward despite his suggestion. Apparently Ren and Pyrrha were still skeptical.

“Alright Jaune, it's your funeral.” Nora pulled her weapon out as it transformed into a large hammer. She leapt forward only to be assaulted by five glowing swords overhead. Nora jumped back with a yelp when they whizzed by leaving craters with each impact. Pyrrha and Ren just looked on in disbelief.

“What’s wrong Nora? I thought you said it would be easy.” Jaune held his arms out mockingly, getting her to growl. She charged forward again while pulling her hammer back ready to slam him. With a cry she swung aiming for his gut only to hit a shield of light instead, which rung like a bell on impact. This time two swords appeared and delivered a devastating uppercut. 

“Nora!” Ren rushed forward managing to catch his partner as the force sent them both sliding back. 

“As I said. You’ll have an easier time working together.” The three got into fighting stances as they finally got serious. Ren rushed first, dodging and leaping over the swords Jaune summoned. Nora followed close behind with her hammer ready. She jumped high into the air and swung forward aiming for the blonde’s head. He held an arm out and a light shield erupted knocking Nora back again. Ren darted under her shooting his pistols but wasn’t able to pierce the glowing wall. Then Pyrrha pounced from behind, managing to slip past his first barrier and preparing her shield. She tried knocking him off balance but a second light barrier from his hand easily deflected it. She brought her javelin down only for Jaune to block that too. Each strike she took was easily deflected no matter how fast she moved. 

Finally he pulled his wings back and flapped them in a powerful motion. The resulting wind lifted her off the ground and sent her flying. Pyrrha glanced around desperately before seeing Nora latched to a sturdy branch nearby. She reached out her hammer for Pyrrha to grab hold of and yanked her securely to the tree. 

Ren took the chance to sneak around Jaune’s back, rushing in quickly while the Angel was distracted. He reached out ready to take the pillowcase not expecting a massive black wing to slap his face. Jaune readied his wings and took off like a bullet creating a second gust of wind and a new crater. It sent Ren soaring back into a tree with a loud crack.

“Good attempt.” Jaune complimented from his aerial perspective. “Keep in mind Angels can track your soul’s position.” Ren grimaced but managed to rush back into the underbrush. He quickly met up with the two girls while panting heavily.

“I think we need a new plan.” Ren breathed. Pyrrha looked between her weapons and Jaune until an idea started forming.

“Ren, can you try distracting him?” The boy nodded before jumping between trees firing bullets at the angel. The blonde responded by flapping his wings repeatedly whipping up a huge gale storm. She waited until Jaune seemed fully focused on the ninja.

“Nora, could you launch me? I have a plan.” Pyrrha asked thinking on Jaune’s statement. The bomber grinned devilishly as she picked a good spot on the ground. She held her hammer back and started swinging her body in circles to build momentum. Pyrrha jumped and used her semblance to hold her shoes and shield to the face of Nora’s hammer. The bomber yelled putting all her strength into the final swing, hitting the trigger of her grenade launcher to send Pyrrha flying. She held her limbs tightly to her frame zooming through the winds. The champion came closer and closer to her target, doing an aerial flip and throwing her javelin at Jaune’s hip. 

The blonde finally took notice, dodging to avoid her weapon entirely. His eyes illuminated bright yellow and her body suddenly felt far heavier. Pyrrha was quickly brought to the ground with a loud thud barely able to catch herself. Struggling against the increased gravity she glanced up seeing her partner summoning several swords above his head. With swift, concise motions they danced around in a circular pattern before launching. Pyrrha tried changing their projection with her semblance, only to realize the flying swords weren’t actually metal. Quickly she used her shield to block the swords and her free hand to manipulate her javelin. The glowing weapons rained down knocking her aura to the yellow despite her shield blocking most of the assault. The champion’s arm was already throbbing in pain as she looked up to see Jaune descending towards her.

“Have you had enough yet?” The blonde asked. Pyrrha used the hand hidden by her shield to hold his sheathed sword in place.

“Not quite.” With a cry she pulled her other hand back and the javelin came flying towards him from behind. He realized too late, unable to move much thanks to Pyrrha holding his sword. Milo grazed the cloth around his waist before his barrier could form, ripping a large chunk of fabric. By some miracle the pillowcase refused to fall. Pyrrha was shocked. The gravity changed her weapon’s trajectory?!

Jaune recovered quickly, realizing he was still in the game. Not letting up the gravity he held his arms to the side and said some foreign words under his breath. Three mirror like objects appeared around his upper body, his face reflected in all of them. It gave Jaune the appearance of having four heads, each of his eyes still lit bright yellow as the mirrors began charging energy. 

Nora and Ren tried to attack but were caught up in the gravity well. Ren hit the dirt quickly but Nora managed a few steps further. She was able to fire her grenade launcher before collapsing. The bombs ascended but didn’t reach their target, colliding instead with his light shield.

Jaune let out one otherworldly shout, echoing through their ears rendering them paralyzed. His mirrors fired at Pyrrha, Ren and Nora. All three braced for impact as the heat intensified. A loud noise accompanied the boiling temperatures as the ground was torn to shreds. Pyrrha shut her eyes against the heat, unable to think of anything but survival. Suddenly the light stopped and Jaune floated to the ground landing on his feet. She slowly opened her eyes seeing her teammate breathing heavily with a hand outstretched. His face was a mix of worry and relief. Pyrrha could only stare at him in stunned silence.

“Jaune… why did you-“

“Looks like I finally won a spar with you.” He panted. Pyrrha slowly took his hand and allowed him to pull her up, turning to see the true carnage of that attack. The flat earth just behind her was now a smoking black crater at least three feet wide. She realized Ren and Nora were also okay, both taking in the damage for themselves. “Are you all alright?” He asked clearly concerned for his teammates. “That’s the first time I’ve used that attack since coming here. I tried to reel it in but kind of failed.”

“I… think I need a rest.” Ren mumbled before his face hit the dirt since he never bothered standing. 

“That was so… AWESOME!” Nora jumped around excitedly trying to get Ren upright when a loud rumble came from her stomach. Jaune scratched the back of his head with a tight grin.

“Right. I’ll see about getting a fire started.”

“And I’ll get dinner ready.” Pyrrha added. 

XxxxxxxxxX

“You dunce!” Weiss shouted at Ruby’s blunder. She had accidentally dropped one of Weiss’ text books and crinkled the cover. Ruby had done far worse in the past, yet this set the heiress off for some reason.

“I’m sorry!” Ruby cried guiltily.

“Sorry? How is sorry going to fix this damage!” She waved the book in her face angrily. Yang put her magazine aside and watched the exchange. This wasn’t the first time Weiss acted oddly this week. First it was practice where she wouldn’t stop shouting at everyone for getting in her way, then the dinner table, and now this. “Honestly how do you hold this team together-“

“Seriously Weiss, what is with you this week?!” Yang interrupted, getting right in her face. The heiress stepped back with her mouth agape. “You’ve been a complete mega bitch this whole week, and you even alienated a bunch of our friends! We can’t function as a team like this!” Weiss opened her mouth to say something but fell silent. “Seriously, your going to make me guess?!” Yang growled. “Did you lose a credit card? Chip a nail? Get disowned?”

“... my Uncle.” Weiss finally breathed pinching her eyes trying to ward off tears. Yang’s eyes quickly returned to purple and Ruby made to approach her. “He was abducted by White Fang members a few weeks ago… my Father didn’t get them the ransom money in time so they beheaded him.” Ruby pulled Weiss into a hug, the heiress slowly returning it. 

“Shit.” Yang breathed.

“Why didn’t you tell us?” Ruby asked. It took a moment for Weiss to answer.

“Blake was part of the White Fang before. I didn’t want to bring it up.”

“So you took it out on everyone else instead?” Yang asked with a raised brow. Weiss seriously considered the brawlers statement.

“Perhaps I didn’t handle the situation in an… appropriate manner.” She looked over to Ruby and Yang. “I apologize for my brash behavior.”

“Apology accepted!” Ruby exclaimed happy to finally have it somewhat resolved.

“I… suppose I should apologize to Pyrrha and the others as well.”

“That’s the best idea you’ve had all week!” Yang grinned. The heiress rolled her eyes and walked out, only to find Blake looking at team JNPR’s door with a small black feather in hand. All of them knew something weird was going on with Blake, especially with how much time she spent watching team JNPR recently. This, however, was on a new level of odd.

“Are you planning to knock?” Weiss asked perplexed. Blake paused trying to think of what to say.

“There’s no point. They left this morning.”

“Did they mention when they’d return?” Weiss asked only for Blake to shake her head.

“They took a lot of stuff with them.” The Cat Faunus paused before looking to her teammate seriously. “I think they might be in trouble.” Weiss was startled by the odd statement, Ruby popping up close behind.

“What do you mean?” The reaper asked worriedly.

“... we should talk about this in the room.”

XxxxxxxxxX

Before long sunset was looming over Remnant. The four members of team JNPR ate around a campfire watching the sun go down, Nora going on nonstop about how awesome their sparring match was earlier. Ren listened quietly while Jaune smiled and yawned throughout her rambling. They had decided to do some more matches after the first one, and everyone was completely spent. Pyrrha couldn't remember the last time her aura was in the red. They wouldn’t have to worry about Grimm at least, according to Jaune anyway. Though something really didn’t sit right with Pyrrha.

“Why do you act so weak?” The champion asked, much to Jaune’s confusion.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, you’re capable of bringing the three of us down without issue using your magic, but you choose to fumble through combat with a sword and shield? Is… is this just a joke to you?” Pyrrha didn’t mean to say that last question, but she was thinking it. Jaune’s face became serious.

“I’ve told you before, my powers are directly related to the state of my wings. When they’re clipped I’m cut off from most of my powers. Though I must thank you Pyrrha.” He smiled tiredly at her. “I’ve learned a lot about hand to hand combat working with you. It was never something I needed to use before coming here. It’s been… fun.” Pyrrha couldn’t help laughing lightly at how genuine he sounded.

“In that case I’m glad I could help you.” She grinned when he stretched trying to keep awake. “Are you really that tired?” Pyrrha questioned.

“That last attack… took a lot out of me.” Jaune yawned. “I don’t replenish energy through food, and since I’m cut off from my Lord the only way I can recuperate is through sleep.”

“You don’t have to stay up then.” Pyrrha added. The Angel shook his head in response.

“Not yet. Something's been bothering the three of you and I figured it had something to do with me.” All three teens went quiet, not knowing how he figured it out. “I can track souls, remember? I’m able to judge them too, and I can tell something has you all tense.”

“It’s about the blood markings in the dorm room.” Ren finally said. “And all over the ruins on the way in.”

“That’s it?” He blinked tiredly a bit underwhelmed. “I made seals to keep a few celestial beings out of our dorm room. Neither will be able to enter now.”

“But… where did the blood come from?” Nora asked this time.

“I used the blood of a sacrificed ram mixed with my own.” Jaune yawned as if this was completely normal. 

“Wait, you killed a ram?!” Pyrrha looked over horrified. Now he seemed ready to zone out of the conversation entirely. How could he treat this as no big deal?!

“Yes. You didn’t notice the stone altar I made? I left the bones on it.” He gestured to the pile of rocks he was kneeling by earlier, the hide and bones still sitting undisturbed.

“But why?!” Nora asked also freaked out.

“I can’t make protection seals without sacrificial blood. Why are you guys acting so weird about it?”

“We’re acting weird?! Killing animals for rituals is not normal!” Nora shouted though Jaune just shrugged.

“Where did you even find one?” Ren inquired.

“We aren’t far from the farming side of Vale. I just... dropped some lien off and took one.”

“I’m not sure that’s legal.” Ren commented but Jaune just waved him off. 

“I’ll do… Что должно быть сделано.” The Angel responded groggily. 

“Oh no! Don’t try blowing me off with that gibberish! This is important!” Nora continued rambling while Jaune just sat there nodding off. Pyrrha and Ren both watched the encounter quietly. That wasn’t the first time he had spoken in a foreign language. How many languages can he speak? She had to admit hearing him talk like that was very… Wait, did he say neither?

”Hold on.” Pyrrha interrupted. “I thought Cinder was the only one?” She didn’t get a response and Jaune didn’t stir. She was about to ask again when his whole body fell sideways onto her shoulder. Pyrrha’s cheeks flushed when she realized what had just happened. Jaune had passed out and fallen directly onto her. His breathing was deep and even, and his muscles were completely relaxed. He was out like a light. Nora even stopped her tirade to make cooing and smooching noises while Ren just shook his head.

The champion slowly relaxed her shoulders as she listened to his breathing. His body heat was comforting against the cold night breeze. She slowly brought her arm around his back and the other to the wing draped over his shoulder. Her heart was pounding in excitement. Jaune was finally in her arms, and he wouldn’t stir for at least a few hours if his wing clipping last week was anything to go on. She could just spend some time with her crush in her arms and-

“HOLD ON GUYS!” Ruby rushed into the ruins in a flurry of rose petals, her scythe drawn and ready to attack. It took her a moment to realize nothing was wrong.

“Ruby?!” Pyrrha gasped realizing Jaune was exposed. Nora and Ren both rushed up to hide him but were too late. The little reaper looked to the champion only for her head to tilt in confusion.

“Why’s Jaune still sleeping? And what’s with the… wings?” She looked on hesitantly.

“Ruby, I know this looks… odd, but I can explain.” Pyrrha said slowly unsure how to continue. Jaune picked a really bad time to pass out. Suddenly a familiar Cat Faunus swung into view with Weiss and Yang trailing behind on the stairs. Blake’s eyes immediately fell on Jaune. Her pupils shrunk to the size of pinpricks, her bow laying flat and hand going straight for her weapon.

“Blake!” Ruby cried. “It’s fine. Nobody’s- BLAKE!” Her weapon was drawn and pointed forward, going off with one deafening bang.


	8. All in Your Head

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Special thanks to Maldevinine for beta reading this chapter.
> 
> Not too much action here, but I needed to tackle some plot important things before the story went any further. There should be more exciting stuff next chapter.
> 
> Let me know what you think!

_Lucifer stepped out of Heaven onto the sandy dunes of Earth. The darkness of the night had long since fallen, though that didn’t detract from the light his halo and wings cast. He wouldn’t have to worry about being spotted. The only humans he’d have to watch out for were hidden away in their homes, knowing this would be a terrible night._

_Before him stretched a grand city, a place the humans referred to as The Land of Goshen. It was all Egypt to him, as if he could care what the humans called their living spaces. Despite that he had to admit it was an interesting sight. Seeing the square pristine building of the upper districts compared to the poorly made, tightly compacted mud homes of the slaves and lower class Egyptians. The palace was a sight to behold, grand pillars holding the massive stone architraves laying across each one. Each structure was dimly illuminated by torches lining the city streets. Nothing could compare to the crystal clear night sky above it though, littered with millions of stars and a massive bright moon._

_“You should try seeing the place when it’s daytime.” A familiar voice said from behind._

_“I plan to.” Lucifer answered back. “I heard God would unleash his final plague tonight. I just had to see if it’s true.”_

_“Curious about humanity for once?” Uriel stepped next to him, his pristine white wings matching Lucifer’s. The angel had black flowing hair and a lean muscular body partially hidden by a glowing white robe. He smiled dangerously when Lucifer sighed._

_“I just don’t understand it.” He shook his head. “God is cruel and unforgiving when dealing with humans, and I understand why. They lie and steal, commit murders and rape among other atrocities. We angels are superior in every way, yet he expects us to bow before his future form born as a man?”_

_“You’re still on about that?” Uriel scoffed. “Honestly that pride of yours will be your downfall. I’m surprised you haven’t protested already.” Suddenly a darker skinned angel with short, pale green hair appeared in a mist before Uriel. He was a foot shorter than the archangel and far thinner in build._

_“Archangel Uriel.” Azrael, the Angel of Death, stated in a low voice with a slight bow. “It is time to begin.”_

_“Very well.” Uriel stepped forward and prepared for his flight through the city. He turned back to Lucifer with a far more serious expression. “You should make your decision soon my friend. Though God gave us free will it won't be long until he calls upon you for your potential betrayal.” Lucifer nodded as the two disappeared in a cloud of swirling light and fog that covered the city. By morning the entire region would be a chorus of wailing mothers and fathers, the first born in every unmarked household killed. Another act of the cruel Lord these humans either worshiped or denied to their own detriment._

_He bit his lip and inhaled deeply, that familiar bitterness welling in his gut. His mind was racing with that old order God had given. The Lord would incarnate as a human being, becoming known as the ‘Son of God’ and starting his transition to a loving deity._

_Why?_

_Why would his Lord incarnate as a human? Why would Lucifer have to bow to a lowly human?! They were weak horrible creatures that were leagues beneath him, yet he’d have to yield to them!_

_A cold smooth sensation traveled across his foot. Lucifer glanced down seeing a large red snake with horns wrapping around his leg, the Angel’s own pupils turning to reptilian slits-_

_The entire world around him turned briefly to static, alerting him to the fact that this wasn’t reality. Right, he wasn’t Archangel Lucifer anymore. He was a fallen angel using the name Jaune Arc. It was a weird memory, or a dream really. What could have caused the disturbance though? He supposed it didn’t matter. It wouldn’t be enough to wake him at this stage. Now would be a good time to contact Beacon’s headmaster though, something he’s been pushing off for far too long._

_Jaune focused on the collective souls within Vale, finding the very grey one he was looking for. Stepping forward the world around him completely shifted into a fog filled forest and a rarely used path leading to a decrepit cabin. Around him were silently playing battles and Grimm attacks partially distorted. The rippling battles wasn’t his priority though. He stepped inside, his wings passing through the doorframe like they were made of fog too. Inside he found an old man sitting in a rocking chair. Across from him sat a beautiful mortal woman with blonde hair and a baby in her arms. Jaune didn’t recognise this woman. A deceased wife perhaps?_

_“You don’t belong here.” The old man turned to look at him directly. Jaune nodded puffing his wings and standing taller._

_“Headmaster Ozpin. I’ve come to deliver a warning.”_

_“Is that so?” The old man leaned back in his chair as the domestic setting faded away and the scene shifted to an odd looking castle. The interior was gothic in design, and the hall was lined with flowers and beautiful tapestries. The old man also changed into a darker skinned lad with curly black hair. He wielded a scepter that he rested both hands on. “You look familiar. Have we met before?”_

_“I am simply a messenger.” Jaune answered as he held his hands and wings erect and his eyes softly glowed. “A great calamity will soon befall Vale, and I fear your school is at the center of it.” The man representing Ozpin seemed surprised, the scene quickly flashing to a huge dark chamber with two tanks near the wall. It swiftly shifted to a modernistic office before Jaune could get a good look. The man suddenly transformed into the Ozpin he was familiar with._

_“What type of calamity?”_

_Jaune took a moment to try judging him, only to realise how strange his soul was. It was so grey, littered with far more marks then anyone could accumulate in one lifetime. He remembered it being very solid from seeing him speaking to the students on initiation day, but he didn’t look too closely at the time. It was definitely the spirit of a human, but what made him so different?_

_Was… was he brought in by Uriel? Could he be a part of what’s to come?_

_Jaune shook his head. He needed to try having faith in this man, but he would give only the bare minimum of information in case Uriel was involved. The angel took control of the dream, shifting the world to show the burning streets and a dark angel above the clock tower in his own visions._

_“One that will leave Vale in flames.” Jaune answered._

_“Can you tell me when this will happen? How can it be stopped?”_

_“I… don’t know exactly.” Jaune answered hesitantly. “It could be a few weeks, or a few months from now. I am not strong enough to stop it from happening, but with your vigilance and preparation the damage could be minimised. Will you heed my warning?”_

_“I will… consider what you have told me.” Ozpin turned around and looked out the large window in his office, the cityscape transforming to a peaceful countryside of wavy golden grasses. Jaune just nodded and left. Slowly he re-entered his own body thinking on this new discovery. He’d need to keep a closer eye on Ozpin. If his suspicions are right the man could be in league with Uriel, and his intervention could end up making things worse._

XxxxxxxxxX

The angel opened his eyes slowly, realising his head was on something warm and firm. A delicate hand was slowly stroking his cheek, but he could feel how tense they really were. Two silhouetted forms were also seated directly in front of him blocking the campfire. He shifted slightly only to hear a familiar voice gasping.

“Oh thank Oum!” His face was swiftly bombarded by a pair of arms and breasts. He only then realised his head was resting in Pyrrha’s lap. The figures quickly turned revealing themselves to be Nora and Ren.

“You’re alive!” Nora grabbed at his torso trying to pull him in a bear hug while Pyrrha kept him in place.

“How do you feel?” Pyrrha reluctantly released and questioned.

“Fine… why?” He looked between the three very confused. What happened while he was out.

“You got shot in the head.” Ren stated bluntly.

“Seriously?” Jaune questioned. He brought his hand up feeling the flecks of dried blood in his hair and hoodie. That would explain that odd lapse in his dream earlier. But why was he shot?

“Do you know who shot me?” Jaune asked next finally forcing Nora off so he could sit properly. He was able to see over Ren’s shoulder and his gut hit the floor. Across from him was Ruby, Weiss and Yang all watching with baited breath. Ruby didn’t waste any time in tackling him in a barrage of rose petals.

“I thought you were dead.” She sniffled trying to fight back tears. Weiss only looked off to the side biting her lip. It was clear the heiress was wary of him now, and after seeing him heal from a head shot he couldn’t blame her.

“Uh… guys?” Jaune questioned with his voice cracking pathetically. “W-Why are they here?”

“They were worried and tracked us down.” Pyrrha sighed. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know they would come.”

“D-did you… tell them anything?”

“No.” Weiss answered much to his surprise. “As much as we wanted answers they insisted that you should be awake for it.” Jaune sighed a bit in relief. He’s glad his teammates were so tight lipped.

“I’m sorry my partner shot you.” Yang added awkwardly scratching the back of her neck. He finally picked up on shallow breathing, looking farther back to see Blake tied to a tree with her own weapon. She was struggling and looking at him fearfully.

“Don’t listen to him!” Blake cried towards her teammates.

Oh. Oh no.

Pyrrha answered this time ignoring Blake. “She kind of shot you before Yang and Ruby could stop her. She wouldn’t calm down so…”

“Pyrrha went completely mad and beat the crap out of her!” Nora answered with more enthusiasm than she should have. “I’ve never seen P-money so mad!”

“Sorry about that. I was right here and I couldn’t...” Pyrrha shut her eyes tight fighting back tears. “She tried to kill you, and everyone else was so low on aura. If Ren or Nora took the bullet instead…“ Jaune decided to stand at that point, walking over to the cat Faunus and bending down to her eye level. Blake just hissed and tried to scoot away.

“I’ve never had the chance to ask a Faunus this directly, so maybe you could help.” Blake remained quiet but her breathing was shallow and rapid. “You’re not the first Faunus to attack me on sight. What is it about me that scares you?” Blake took a moment to answer, finally working up her resolve enough to speak.

“Monster!” She snarled. “The others may not sense it but I can. That dark energy I first noticed the other week, only for it to vanish suddenly. It’s back and now I know what I sensed was real. You’re a snake that tricked my friends into following you!” His eyes widened at the word snake, a familiar horned serpent flashing in his mind. “I don’t know what you plan to do with them, but you must be stopped!”

“... you can unload as many bullets into me as you wish. Just never endanger my teammates like that again.” He slowly stood up and made his way back to the campfire, Blake’s spiteful gaze strong enough to make his back burn. “Which bag has the books in it?” Pyrrha and Nora both pointed to their own backpacks. He quickly grabbed them and walked off behind one of the ruin walls.

“Hey!” Weiss shouted making him turn. “We’ve been waiting three hours for you to wake up! I want to know what’s going on.” Jaune considered her statement carefully, finally looking down to his teammates.

“Tell them what I told you three the morning you discovered my secret. Nothing more.” He walked off much to Weiss’ annoyance but he couldn’t face them right now. That snake comment was still ringing through his mind and he needed time to think. Why would Blake call him that? What about his powers gave off such horrible energy?

‘You already know the answer.’ The horned snake appeared right in his path. ‘She can see what you refuse to. Why do you deny yourself our memories? Why do you deny yourself our POWER?’ He summoned five swords and stabbed the snake repeatedly until it evaporated. Jaune didn’t know what the serpent was talking about. He didn’t want to know. There were more important things to worry about currently. Finding a nicely hidden enclosed section of wall Jaune finally took a seat.

He pulled a book from Nora’s backpack and began running his hand along the spine. His eyes and wings softly glowed as the words travelled through his fingers and embedded into his mind. The first was a book on fairy tales, the most distinct story regarding two brother gods. One was the creator of life and the other destruction and the Grimm. The two together created humanity, but that seems to be where any mention of them ends. So the people of Remnant are polytheistic? None of the humans he’s associated with seem religious though. In fact, none of his teammates ever bothered mentioning religious beliefs.

He took a second book and scanned that one too. This one spoke of the history of religion in Remnant. It seams they were once a religious people but have more recently turned away from the old beliefs. There is more than that though. The religion of the two brothers branched into a second group that worshipped a powerful man and woman pair. There was also a group of nature worshippers, and a darker group referred to as the Black Cult. Only negative things are spoken of the cult here, primarily their worship of the Grimm and dark rituals.

“Hey Jaune.” The angel turned to see Ruby standing behind him. “Mind if I join you?” Jaune inclined his head slightly in surprise. He assumed after witnessing the head shot he survived and the large wings Ruby would prefer staying with the rest of her team. Apparently he was mistaken.

“If you want.” Jaune shrugged. Ruby took a seat on a nearby rock using her scroll as a flashlight. She was mostly eyeing his wings clearly trying to word a question before something else distracted her.

“So… what’s with all the books?”

“Research.” Jaune answered flatly.

“Don’t you need light to read?” The younger questioned. Jaune just demonstrated by running his hand up another book and letting her watch the process.

“If I wanted to take my time, then yes.” Ruby’s eyes began sparkling with wonder.

“That’s so cool!” She squealed. “Is that your semblance?!”

“No, just one of my powers.” He fluttered his wings lightly.

“So… Pyrrha said you’re an angel?”

“That’s right.” Jaune sighed as his wings subconsciously dropped a bit. “This is a disaster…”

“Why?” Ruby asked perplexed.

“You weren’t supposed to find out.” Jaune answered. “No one was supposed to find out. Now everyone knows and Blake wants me dead.”

“I’m sure she’ll get over it.” Ruby tried to reassure, but the blonde just shook his head.

“Sadly it’s more complicated than that. Animals have a similar reaction to me, and I fear all Faunus would responds that way.” That horned snake briefly appeared over Ruby’s shoulder before vanishing again. “Can I ask you something?” He said trying to change to subject.

“What’s up?”

“What do you know of the Black Cult?” Ruby tilted her head questioningly.

“I’ve heard of them. Just a few crazy zealots that worship Grimm and kill animals as part of their rituals. Why do you ask?”

“Ah, That might explain a few things.” Jaune pondered remembering his teammates’ reactions to his ram sacrifice. “What about your beliefs Ruby?”

“I… don’t really have any.” She admitted. “I’ve never thought about it before. My dad isn’t religious either so it was never brought up. Maybe there is something out there? I just don’t know.”

“I see. Thank you Ruby.”

“Any time!” She said with a thumbs up. “But I wanted to ask why you decided to sit by yourself?” Jaune looked at her much like he did Pyrrha not long ago.

“You saw me survive and heal from a bullet wound to the head, your own teammate accusing me of being a vile monster, found out I’ve lied to you since we met, and you’re asking my that?” The angel let out a small chuckle. “Why do you still insist on being friends? I figured you would hate me.”

“Please!” Ruby waved him off. “I’ve befriended weirder things this semester.” Jaune just tilted his head questioningly. She’s reacting the same way his teammates did. How could these humans be so accepting?

“Excuse me.” Ruby and Jaune glanced up seeing Pyrrha popping in from behind the wall. She was staring at him with a mix of guilt and worry, as if he’d keel over dead at any second. “Could I get my toothbrush please?”

“Of course. Sorry about that.” Jaune took the rest of the books and returned the bag. He finally noticed the blood on Pyrrha’s gloves and breastplate. His own dried blood. The poor girl already looked too shaken to be wearing soiled clothing.

“Did you bring a change of clothes?” Jaune questioned. Pyrrha shook her head.

“I figured I wouldn’t need one, plus I had several books to make room for.” The angel couldn’t help but feel oddly guilty, especially since he requested they bring the extra weight. He did have something she could use though.

“Hold on a second.” He ran to his own travel bag and dug through it for a spare sweatshirt. He swiftly pulled out a blue hoodie with X-Ray and Vav posed heroically on the front. “Here.” Jaune tossed it to her. She quickly noticed the lack of wing slits and looked back up worriedly.

“Won’t you need this when we return?” She questioned. Pyrrha already knew he’d have to clip his wings before heading back, but he’d make do.

“Don’t worry about it.” He waved her off. “I’ll just keep the backpack on until we make it to the dorm.” And people wouldn’t be questioning why she had blood stains everywhere. His current black hoodie already hid the blood splotches it held pretty well, so as long as no one went uncomfortably close he should be fine. She started blushing before regaining some form of composure.

“T-thank you Jaune. I’ll… I’ll just get changed then.” She rushed off behind one of the ruin walls leaving the blonde to wonder what just happened. He returned to Ruby and the book pile only to see her with a smug grin.

“What?”

“You like her!” Ruby teased.

“Why would you say that?” Jaune asked mortified. She just cackled uncontrollably when his face flushed at the accusation. He eventually rolled his eyes and went back to his books, a new thought forming in his head.

Pyrrha was an attractive mortal. She is kind and strong, always putting others before herself. Though she has certainly been behaving oddly around him recently. The angel couldn’t deny the pleasant feeling being with her produced either. Perhaps he did have feelings for her? Still, he couldn’t risk being in a relationship with a human. Jaune knew what the consequences would be, he’s seen it before back on Earth. Nephilim, the giant horrendous offspring of humans and angels, wasn’t something he’d willingly bring to Remnant. He definitely wouldn’t put Pyrrha through that either. She would be better off finding another human companion. Anyone but him really. Still, despite wanting to be responsible he couldn’t help but be… tempted by the idea.

“So, Nora said that your team attack name was based on a story from your world.” Jaune looked up seeing how genuinely curious she was.

“Yes, the story of Noah and the great flood. I’m sure she already told you all the details.”

“She did, but…” Ruby poked her two index fingers together nervously. “Could you tell me more stories? I want to know if they are anything like our fairy tales.”

“Well, if that’s the case there is the one of David and Goliath. It’s about a young boy nobody believed in facing a giant to save his home. The story of Moses is a long riveting yet sad one. There is also Joseph the dream interpreter.”

“Can you tell us all of them?”

“You want to hear them all?” Jaune asked to his confusion. She nodded excitedly.

“I know Weiss and Yang would love to hear them too.” Jaune smiled slightly at her eagerness. He packed the books away in his own backpack for the time being. There would be time to finish reading them after the others fell asleep. For now he’d educate his friends in the stories of his home world.


	9. Sweet Little Lies

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Special thank you to Maldevinine for beta reading this chapter.
> 
> It’s finally back and this chapters a long one.
> 
> Enjoy! Let me know what ya thing!

Blake worked at her bindings while the rest of team RWBY slept soundly around her. Everyone was exhausted from the trek up here, and it didn’t take long for them to fall asleep. They kept her tied though, since they said she was acting crazy and needed to calm down, but she couldn’t do that! Why didn’t they understand?! Just being this close made her skin crawl, as if several hundred ants were living in her back. She needed to act now! The source of that energy was defenseless and who knew when her next chance to kill it would be? Finally her struggling loosened the ribbon enough to get her arm free. She worked quickly, ignoring the sore rope burns on her skin and getting the knot loose. She had managed to escape! And now to protect her friends. 

Quietly the Faunus took her weapon and snuck around her sleeping teammates. Ruby, Yang and Weiss were all out cold, and even Nora and Ren had dozed off at some point. She quietly made her way towards the fire circle, which was completely illuminated in an odd magenta light. It wasn’t a color she’d seen any fire burn, and she knew that had something to do with the evil power. Somehow the energy source was weakening though and she couldn’t understand why. That sheer volume of evil and malice couldn’t just vanish like that!

She stepped into the circle, only for Gambol Shroud to quickly swivel to face her own temple. 

“This time I won’t be too slow.” Pyrrha threatened holding Blake’s gun steadily with her semblance. The champion was seated against one of the boulders by their fire pit with both her and Jaune’s shields close by. Next to her hip lay Jaune’s unconscious body, his skin pale and breathing shallow. Those wings were gone, and so was that horrible energy, the remains of it whipping away as the fire returned to a warm orange color. A single black feather sat at the edge of the flames catching from the hot embers and burning that reddish color as it turned to ash. Slowly Blake’s senses began returning and realization dawned on what she was planning to do.

“O-Oh gods…”She dropped her weapon and began stepping back to run, only for Pyrrha to control her magnetic weapon holster and roughly sit the Faunus down.

“You’re not allowed to leave.” Pyrrha stated with venom Blake didn’t know was possible from the polite girl. She paused before managing to suppress the anger she still held. “He… didn’t want you to leave your team because of this.” The redhead tossed a folded piece of paper to Blake. She unfolded the thing slowly, only to find a message addressed from Jaune.

‘Blake,

I’m sorry you had to find out this way. Honestly I’m not surprised by your reaction. As I’ve said you’re not the first Faunus to shoot me on sight. However, I think I know what the common problem is. Please don’t leave until after I wake up. I hope we can talk this through. Seeing you leave your team because of my carelessness is something I hope to prevent.

Jaune’

Blake looked to Pyrrha in stunned silence, unsure what to say. She couldn’t believe what had happened. She had tried to kill Jaune. She really tried to kill her classmate!

“He forgives you.” Pyrrha murmured as she absently started petting the boy’s hair, as if checking to make sure his skull was still intact. “I’m trying to do so, but…” She suddenly paused as her hands began to tremble slightly. “Please… why did you do it?” She looked up to Blake taking a deep breath to steady herself. “I need to know why you shot him.”

“I-I don’t know what came over me.” Blake said quietly trying to process everything herself. That horrible monstrous energy from before, the thing that clouded her mind had completely vanished. “As soon as I saw him all I could see was… black.”

“Black?” Pyrrha questioned.

“There was just something so… terrible and wrong about him. I couldn’t see him as Jaune anymore. All I could feel was fear, despair, anger… It overwhelmed everything… I-I had to protect everyone.” She looked up to Pyrrha desperately. “You seriously couldn’t feel it?”

“No.” Pyrrha shook her head. Everything about him felt the same to her. She was starting to wonder if this wasn’t so much murderous intent but Blake losing her mind. Still Jaune said that her reaction didn’t surprise him. “Did his wings set you off?”

“Maybe? I mean… this isn’t the first time I’ve felt this energy from him.” Pyrrha tilted her head questioningly. “The first time was the morning you called off sick from classes.” The redhead had to think back for a moment. That’s right. Blake spotted him from the doorframe and he still had one wing attached. He did say his powers were stronger when they were out. Still, she couldn’t help but worry even more now. What if this happened again? Would Pyrrha have to worry about Blake trying to sneak in their room during the night? She really hoped not.

“I… suppose we’ll talk this out more when he wakes up.” The girls awkwardly looked away from each other, Blake up at the night sky while Pyrrha watched the campfire. She could of sworn she saw a figure dancing in it for a moment, almost shaped like a serpent. The day must of exhausted her worse then she thought. She couldn’t fall asleep now though. The champion wouldn’t leave her partner that defenseless again, even if it killed her.

XxxxxxxxxX  
*One Week Later*

Jaune rested his head in his hand while trying to pay attention in Professor Port’s class. He honestly had far too much on his mind to care right now. Ever since the camping trip a certain someone has shown up more and more frequently, and oddly enough Jaune was the only one that could see it. That damn serpent had been everywhere and it was really pissing him off. It would hang around his and Pyrrha’s beds in the morning, slither about their table at every meal, and show up in random classes throughout the day. He was currently watching the damn thing as it dangled off the chalkboard behind Professor Port. He wanted to impale the beast so badly but wasn’t able to in his current state, and especially with all these witnesses. The last thing he needed was the entire student body talking about the freshman currently losing his mind, especially if it wound up overshadowing the dance this weekend. Which was another thing.

If Uriel was going to try something the dance would be a good place to do it. Unfortunately he had no idea what that thing was. Plus he didn’t want everyone to know about the other angels. Dammit, why were there more than one!?

He rubbed his temples trying to alleviate the building pressure. This whole thing was giving him one big migraine.

“You know how simple the solution is.” He glanced under the desk seeing that snake wrapping around his leg. ‘It’s coming, and no one will be prepared for what hits.’ Jaune brought his foot down hard on the serpanr causing it to burst into a cloud of smoke.

“Mr. Arc!” Jaune looked up realizing everyone had heard his foot slam and was watching him with mixtures of annoyance and curiosity. “Care to explain why you’ve interrupted my most glorious tale?” Port raised a brow.

“S-Sorry.” Jaune stuttered with an awkward grin. “Just a bug that needed squashing.” 

Port rubbed his chin momentarily in thought. “Though I appreciate the enthusiasm, do remember others are trying to pay attention.”

“Right, I’ll be quiet.” Jaune breathed.

“Excellent! Now, where was I? Oh yes! I was face to face with seven alpha Beowolves, just me and my broken weapon backed into a corner-“ Jaune tuned out again when the snake started circling Port’s leg, watching him with a wry grin. He couldn’t stand that damn thing. Why wouldn’t it leave?!

“Hey, is everything alright?” Pyrrha whispered from her seat next to him. Jaune just nodded. He couldn’t worry the others any more. Though he was trying to be honest this was something even he couldn’t figure out, and as a former Archangel that scared him to no end. Finally the bell rang and everyone stood up and made their way to the cafeteria. Right, it was lunch time. Unfortunately Pyrrha wouldn’t let him skip again, insisting that he really needed to spend time with his friends and teammates. There was just one problem with that. Two of those people really didn’t want to see him.

They grabbed their trays of food and made their way to the dining table. Everyone else was already there. Ruby and Nora were quick to wave him over excitedly, while Yang did her usual greeting. 

“Sup’ Vomit boy? It’s been, like, three days since you’ve sat with us. You trying to avoid us or something?”

“Umm… not entirely…” Jaune whispered while taking a seat and looking to the two he dreaded seeing. Blake sat at the far end of the table looking away while Weiss joined her in ignoring him. He scooped some soup from his bowl and placed the spoon in his mouth, looking at the grain patterns in the table.

He had a better understanding of Blake at least. They finally had a chance to talk without her trying to kill him, and the power he exuded seems to be the cause of her panicking. Still, what bothered him most was how evil his energy was. He never thought his magic was bad or harmful, so why does it feel that way to the Faunus? Either way her trust was permanently shaken with him, but at least she decided to stay at Beacon.

Weiss was another matter entirely. The heiress was very mistrustful of Jaune now, to the point where she tried avoiding him if at all possible. It’s not like he could blame her, it was honestly the reaction he thought everyone else would have. What he couldn’t figure out was why. Why was her reaction so different from the others? Or maybe he should ask why everyone else reacted so differently from her? Humans were weird creatures after all.

‘Why do this to yourself?’ The snake hissed in his ear. It was hanging over his shoulders and weighing his neck down. ‘Why subject yourself to their whims? Do you enjoy the humiliation?’

“Jaune?” The angel pulled the utensil from his mouth, not realizing that he completely destroyed the spoon with his teeth.

“Sorry, what?” He asked before Nora quickly snatched the ruined silverware and hid it from view. Ruby bolted over wanting to get a closer look while the others watched him cautiously, especially Weiss and Blake.

“You’ve been very… distracted recently.” Pyrrha said carefully. 

“You keeping more secrets from us? Sharing is caring you know.” Yang said before Pyrrha could finish. 

“What? No! Why would you say that?” Jaune asked as sweat beads started to form on his forehead.

“You don’t usually murder the silverware for one.” Nora held it up. Ruby looked between Jaune and the once spoon questioningly, clearly wanting answers to both.

“Look, I just have… a lot on my mind is all.” Jaune looked down as the serpent slithered across the table over his hand, though no one else noticed. “I swear it’s nothing serious.”

“But the last time you withheld information you got shot in the head.” Ruby said. He noticed Pyrrha tense the moment she mentioned that incident, though Jaune chose not to comment. “Maybe we can help.”

“I appreciate the offer guys, really. But this is something I really need to think through myself.” He stood up taking his barely touched tray of food. “I’m going to do some research in the library. I’ll see you guys later.” He left before anyone could say anything, especially Pyrrha. Out of all his friends the champion has been acting the weirdest by far. The champion had been hovering a lot, and she was very awkward around him during conversations now. He didn’t know what was going on with her but just hoped some time apart would help.

He made his way to the library, already more relaxed by the lack of questioning. Jaune walked to the far back of the archive section and gathered as many historical books as he could. He’s been trying to learn more about the Brother Gods of this world, but there was nothing he hadn’t already read. Why was information on them so sparse? If they really were the ones responsible for humanity why would they completely abandon it? They didn’t even have a Bible or similar. He needed to know how strong these gods were, and if they’re powerful enough he might be able to appeal to them for aid against Uriel’s schemes. The angel had to contact them somehow, and a properly done religious ritual or sacrifice would be his best bet.

‘Do you really think that will work?’ The snake asked wrapping around the desk lamp.

“Shut up.” Jaune growled picking up a fresh textbook. 

‘I could tell you everything you wish to know. I could help you stop her.’

“Be quiet!” Jaune hissed. He hated it. The damn snake actually had a point and he didn’t like it one bit. If prayer or research wouldn’t help him contact these gods he was being left with fewer and fewer options.

‘You know I’m right. It’s time to stop fighting me.’

“Shut up!” Jaune shouted only to get several students shushing him. He opened the text and hid his face in the cover mumbling curses to himself. This was a disaster.

“Who are you talking to?” Nora questioned, piping up from behind and making the blonde jump in shock.

“No one!” Jaune said defensively, barely catching the book he nearly dropped.

“It doesn’t sound like no one.” Nora responded. Jaune looked behind her seeing a familiar pair of amber orbs watching him from a row of bookshelves. Uriel was running her hands along the books gathering information of her own, and was now observing Jaune’s next move carefully. “Is it a ghost?”

“In a way yes.” Jaune whispered absently not taking his eyes off Cinder. The angel slowly stepped out of view, but Jaune could still sense her soul close by.

“Really?!” The blonde was already regretting his statement as Nora started talking a mile a minute. “What type of ghost?! Are you friends? Enemies? Does this mean we can have a new ghost roommate?!”

“SHHHHH!” The students all shushed the two a second time, earning them an apologetic smile from Nora.

“N-no.” Jaune stuttered. “It’s kind of personal, alright? Let’s just keep this between us.”

“I mean, if you really want me to…” She waited a moment fidgeting anxiously. “Can I tell Ren at least?”

“No.” Jaune deadpanned.

“What about Pyrrha?”

“No!”

“Can you at least tell me about the ghost?” Jaune just rubbed his brow and sighed at her pestering. This was getting him nowhere. Unless he got a little more creative…

“Hey Nora, how about we make a little wager?”

“A bet! What kind?” She asked suspiciously.

“Nothing much. We play a game of my choosing. If you win I’ll answer two of your questions about the ‘ghost.’ If I win, you have to wear a purple wig to class for the rest of the week.” Jaune watched her carefully, but the prospect of a challenge excited her furthered.

“No cheating with angel powers? And you wear the wig if you lose.” She double checked.

“No cheating.” Jaune stated. “However, it will be the most mentally and physically taxing challenge you’ve ever faced. I’m not even sure you can handle it.”

“Bring it on!” Nora said stepping forward with her fist held ready. “I’ll take your challenge and crush you into mulch!”

“Ahem.” The two turned and saw the librarian with her arms crossed and an angry look on her face. She pointed towards the door, the teens quickly grabbing their things and exiting. They hurried into the hallway facing each other to finish sealing the deal.

“We’ll see about that Nora.” They took each other’s hands and finalized the bet with a firm handshake. His magic flared as the deal was struck, and a sudden surge only got her more excited. Jaune couldn’t stop grinning. There was no way he could lose.

XxxxxxxxxX

Pyrrha walked back to the dorm room with a lot on her mind. Her thoughts were running a mile a minute and she couldn’t shake the constant guilty feeling weighing her down. She needed to speak with Jaune and soon. Ever since the night Blake tried to murder him she had been on edge, and it hadn’t gone away with time.

Finally she approached the familiar door, opening it to find an unusual sight. All three of her teammates were seated in the middle of the floor surrounding a board game. The board had several pieces of miniature barns and farmer sculptures along with little rakes and farming plots. Jaune looked content, Ren appeared bored and it seemed like Nora was going through her own version of hell. 

“Ummm… what are you three up to?” Pyrrha asked hesitantly.

“I’m glad you asked.” Jaune said smugly. “We’re playing one of my favorite human board games. It’s called Compost King. You play as a farmer collecting organic scraps for your compost heap. Whoever gets the biggest pile of mulch becomes the Compost King.” He picked up the dice and rolled them, moving his piece around the board before passing the set to Ren. 

“... I see.” Pyrrha said slowly afraid Nora would explode at any moment. “And why are you all playing Compost King?”

“Because I will win no matter how long it takes! I refuse to lose this bet!” Nora slammed her hands down with fresh determination.

“Are you sure about that Nora?” Jaune smirked. “Don’t forget mulching takes place in real time. This single game could go on for days, possibly weeks.” Nora’s expression suddenly dropped and her face turned to a pout. 

“Basically Nora kept asking questions that Jaune didn’t want to answer.” Ren deadpanned. “So they made a bet, and Nora’s losing.” 

“I haven’t lost yet!” She rolled the pair of dice only for them to count up to three movement spaces. Her face dropped to the ground with a defeated groan. “We’ve been at this for days!”

“It’s only been two hours.” Ren corrected.

“That’s even worse!”

“Tell me when to get the wig ready.” Jaune smiled as Nora began stamping her foot. “Care to join us Pyrrha?”

“N-no thanks.” Pyrrha said with a tight smile. “I have… homework to finish!”

“That’s a shame. Maybe next time then.” Pyrrha sighed internally at Jaune’s response, happy to stay out of this train wreck.

“Are we still on for later?” She asked.

“I’ll be there at our usual time.” Jaune said with a grin when Nora started groaning in fresh agony. Pyrrha took what she needed and left. She would talk to him during training instead.

XxxxxxxxxX

Sparks flew as swords clashed together. The two students pulled apart before circling each other slowly. Pyrrha was watching and critiquing Jaune’s every movement. His stance was greatly improved, and he wasn’t rushing at her blindly either. So far so good. The champion decided to pounce, forcing Jaune to pull his shield up while she delivered strike after strike. He took each blow in stride and waited for an opening, taking his own jab when Pyrrha ended her flurry. She dodged with ease as he came on the offensive. Pyrrha brought her spear up quickly blocking his horizontal strike. 

Neither party let up, both locking each other in a stalemate as Jaune tried to overpower her. She simply smirked, dodging while his sword slid along her javelin. She ducked down with a spinning kick hitting his ankles, forcing the blonde off his feet.

As she came back around the world suddenly slowed. She was watching Jaune hit the pavement, his skull exploding in a burst of bone and blood. 

“NO!” Pyrrha grabbed his chest plate with her semblance before he could hit the ground. Jaune looked around confused until seeing Pyrrha’s outstretched hand.

“Ummm… Pyrrha?” The champion released the second he said her name, letting him hit the pavement with a thud.

“I’m so sorry!” She apologized completely flustered. Pyrrha couldn’t believe she just did that. They were just sparing! Why would she do that?!

“Pyrrha, what’s bothering you?” Jaune stood up and questioned.

“Nothing!” The champion responded a little hastier than she intended.

“Your soul says otherwise.” The angel protested. Pyrrha quickly covered her chest with a fresh wave of frustration at his invasiveness.

“Stop doing that!” She quickly covered her mouth when Jaune took a step back in complete shock. How could she lash out like that? What was wrong with her?! “Sorry! I’m really sorry, it’s just…” This was her chance. She could finally talk her fears out with him. But if that’s the case why was she freezing up? She couldn’t actually form the words she wanted, and her planned speech fell apart. “... I just have a lot on my mind.” He watched her carefully before sighing in defeat. 

“Alright. Just know I’m here if you want to talk.” Jaune walked past here, over his blood seal protecting the rooftop and to the exit. “I’m gonna run some laps. Text if you need me.” She crossed her arms and looked away as he left, cursing herself for being so obvious.

She stood there completely still for who knows how long, just waiting for the tension to leave her shoulders. Why was this so hard? She couldn’t remember ever having similar problems in the past. Why did Jaune specifically make things harder?

She looked up at the shattered moon lost in thought. Pyrrha knew Jaune could survive just about anything thrown at him, so even if the worst came she wouldn’t need to worry. Still, she couldn’t forget how his skull blew apart the moment Blake’s bullet hit. How her face and armor had been splattered with bits of brain and blood. Just remembering that sensation sent shivers up her spine. He was so low on aura the bullet cut right through him, and for several minutes she really thought he had died. She didn’t expect him to heal so quickly from that, who on Remnant could of? What if Blake had shot him after his wings were clipped? Would he have still healed from it? Would Jaune even tell her if she asked?

No. Of course he would be fine. Jaune said angels are immortal beings. He would have survived. She’s pretty sure at least…

“Something on your mind?” Pyrrha jumped at hearing the vaguely familiar voice. She spun around seeing a girl with light green hair and red eyes. Emerald was standing above the doorway looking at her blankly. She hoped down and stopped right at the border of Jaune’s seal.

“Emerald? What are you doing up here?” Pyrrha questioned, beginning to feel uneasy. 

“I just came here to talk.” Emerald answered. “I had nothing malicious in mind.” Pyrrha just looked between her and the blood seal. Why would she stop outside of it? It’s as if she knew what it was. Unless…

Pyrrha tightened her grip around the javelin in her hand, getting ready to fight if needed.

“I spoke the truth.” The other girl frowned. “I just wanted to apologize for Master Uriel’s behavior. She wasn’t supposed to attack any mortals, but anything dealing with Lucifer tends to set her off.” Pyrrha cocked her brow slightly in confusion. She just hoped her suspicions were correct.

“Emerald… what’s your real name?” The girl just laughed at Pyrrha’s question.

“Smart.” She commented. “Though I thought Lucifer had already told you my true identity. Seems like an important detail to share.” She lifted her uniform sleeve slightly revealing three solid loops of metal that started to glow lightly. “I am the angel of death, Azrael.”

“There’s more angels here then Cinder and Jaune…” Pyrrha said with a mix of disbelief and betrayal. Why hadn’t her partner said anything?

“I almost feel bad for you. Not able to trust your own partner and team leader. A former Archangel no less.” She pondered something for a moment before continuing. “How about this.” Emerald, or Azrael, stated. “As a sort of apology for my compatriot's attempted murder and my former superior's deceit, I’ll answer any two questions you have about Angels with complete honesty. Deal?” Emerald offered her hand forward, but Pyrrha was hesitant to take it. She was still a bit shocked by this new revelation. First Pyrrha learned her partner had continued hiding important information, and now his former friend is offering her assistance. Her gut was screaming for her to say no, but somewhere in her mind she felt Emerald was being genuine. Oh Oum, she would probably regret this later.

Breathing deeply she stepped forward and offered her hand over Jaune’s blood seal. Emerald shook it firmly and a strange heat erupted through her hand. The champion pulled away with a gasp checking herself for damage.

“W-what?” She breathed looking at Emerald in complete shock.

“I just sealed our agreement.” Emerald stated. “An angel will never go back on their word, even the fallen ones like Lucifer. Though it would never happen we still create pacts with those we’ve made promises or deals with. Neither party will break the promise, unless they don’t mind suffering the consequences that is. I’m sure you’ve seen it done before.” Pyrrha thought back to Cinder and Jaune meeting in the pavilion. They did grab hands at one point, though she didn’t know what it meant at the time. But what happens if a pact is broken?

“That was one of your questions by the way.” Emerald smirked. “You should pick your last one wisely.” Pyrrha looked down and thought carefully. In all honesty she already had a million questions lined up for her. Still, she couldn’t get the thought of Jaune’s head being blown off. It was at the forefront of her mind and she needed to know the truth.

“Can angels be killed.” Pyrrha finally looked up with a light sense of dread.

“Yes.” Her eyes widened at how matter of fact Emerald sounded about it.

“B-But Jaune said you’re all immortal. How is it possible-“ Emerald wagged her finger silencing the young huntress.

“I already answered two of your questions. I’m no longer obligated to say anything else.” She walked towards the exit only for Jaune to burst through panting like a mad dog. 

“THE HELL ARE YOU-“

Emerald held a hand up silencing the blonde. “Just a friendly chat. Unlike Master Uriel I currently hold no ill intent towards your humans.” She waved them off passing Jaune as she went, the latter looking about ready to keel over from exhaustion.

“Are you alright Pyrrha?” He asked looking her over for damage. “I saw her soul by yours on my return trip. I thought for sure she might try something.”

“No, she actually stayed behind your seal.” Jaune sighed in relief. “I’m just happy you didn’t go over it to meet her.” She felt a vague ping of guilt, but it was overshadowed by her growing doubts. She looked her partner straight in the eyes before speaking.

“Jaune, how many angels are really here?”

“Just the two.” He answered but her gaze never faltered. “I-I mean including me there are three. That’s all I’ve seen.” Jaune sighed at realizing how shaken her trust really was, and it wasn’t misplaced either. This was getting him nowhere.

“Come on, lets head back to the dorms. I have something to give you three.” He turned back to the exit tiredly and waited as Pyrrha cautiously followed. 

Unbeknownst to her Uriel was standing on a nearby rooftop watching the two with a sly grin. The seeds of doubt had been planted, and it was only a matter of time before Lucifer’s real punishment could begin.


	10. Twin Skeletons

Jaune and Pyrrha quietly made their way back to the dorms. It was a longer walk then it should have been as the champion clearly had questions but Jaune really didn’t want to answer. The topic of the other Angels was painful for him at this point, and he knew she wouldn’t like what he had to say. Jaune briefly noticed Weiss and Neptune speaking to each other in a side hallway, probably about the dance or something. He didn’t have the time or patience to care about that trivial event, especially if Uriel planned to act.

They both entered the dormroom, finding Ren helping Nora figure out how to keep the purple wig attached. It was a huge Afro, and added a good eight inches to Nora’s height. It honestly didn’t look that bad on her. They immediately stopped upon noticing the tension between Pyrrha and Jaune.

“Are you two alright?” Ren questioned carefully.

“Just fine.” Jaune dismissed as he stepped toward his bed. He pulled out a shoebox underneath that held the project he’d been working on all week. They were a pain in the ass to make and took far too much time and energy but hopefully they’d be worth it. Jaune pulled the lid off and lifted up the items inside. They were necklaces. One of his black secondary feathers hung on each one, including several teeth from the ram he sacrificed. Each tooth was carved with protective pentagrams, and even the feathers had been signed in his own blood. His teammates were more appalled then anything.

“What are those?” Pyrrha questioned rather shocked.

“The things I wanted to give you.” Jaune tried passing them out but nobody took them. “I hopped they wouldn’t be necessary, but after Emerald’s stunt earlier clearly I was wrong.”

“That still doesn’t answer the question.” Nora added shying away from the demonic looking trinkets. “And what about Emerald?” Jaune just sighed.

“She and Cinder are both Angels, the only other two I’ve encountered so far.” Nora and Ren were both shocked, remembering how powerful Cinder and Jaune both were on their own. He could tell they weren’t pleased by the news. “Which makes these all the more important.” He held up the necklaces once more.

“They’re protection wards.” Jaune stated, but the others just looked at him skeptically. “You know, like my blood seals? These ones will notify me if an angel is nearby any of you, and more importantly they’ll let you three know too.” They would also act as protection if any of them were assaulted by Angelic magic, but it would only block one strike before burning to ashes. He also didn’t want them trying anything stupid, which they might do if told the full story. He’d settle for a half truth for now.

“How will they do that?” Pyrrha asked.

“You just have to listen closely. You’ll understand once they’re on.” He handed one to each of his teammates, now that they were somewhat willing to touch the ghastly things at least.

“I still don’t like it.” Nora complained.

“Look, I’ll be honest here. I can’t keep a watch out for Uriel or other Angels all the time. Tracking souls is a conscious effort and it’s tiring. If something happened while I wasn’t watching…” He went quiet momentarily. If Uriel smited them none of their souls would reach the proper afterlife. They’d never reunite with loved ones, and their spirits would be completely shredded from the mere journey. “Please, just humour me here.” The others went quiet looking at each other. Jaune had to admit it sounded rather pathetic, but nothing else was getting through.

“... does it have to be around the neck?” Nora finally questioned with a slight frown. Thank God that worked.

“No, I just ask that you have it on your person.” They all stared at the necklaces still grossed out by the whole thing.

“Are you sure you're not a cult member?” Ren asked slowly.

“You mean the Black Cult right? Why would you even think that?” Jaune questioned not seeing his point.

“You smear blood on the walls calling it ‘protection seals,’ sacrifice a ram for its body parts, then hook its teeth to a necklace trying to make us wear them!” The bomber said clearly exasperated. Oh, he supposed she had a point, but that wasn’t it at all.

“Look, I know it seems weird to you. Honestly, most of the things associated with me have a similar… macabre look. It mainly has to do with my…. former position.” Jaune said the last bit weakly. This was not something he wanted to talk about, nor did he believe his teammates would understand why his role was so important.

“And what would that be?” Pyrrha asked the dreaded question. Jaune took a moment to answer. He couldn’t outright say Devil. If the humans on Earth couldn’t correctly understand his job why would the people of Remnant be different?

“The word best used to describe my former position would probably be… Inquisitor.”

“What did you do as an inquisitor?” Ren asked suspiciously. Jaune looked away, his chest starting to feel tight. This wasn’t even something he shared with the Arc family. If he couldn’t tell the humans that rescued him how could he inform his teammates?

“Please… I’d rather not talk about it. I’m not the same person anymore.”

‘That’s a lie and you know it.’ The serpent appeared wrapping around Ren’s shoulder watching Jaune judgingly. ‘You’ve denied your true self since coming to this realm, and you think that counts as change?’

“But you said you’d be honest with us. This seems pretty important.” Ren countered. Jaune bit his lip looking away. Why did he care so much about what they thought of him? Of his past? At one point the Angel would have boasted about his position. It scared mortals, and that was something he was proud of. Now that Jaune had humans that he genuinely cared for the truth was more frightening to him then ever.

“It’s alright.” Pyrrha stated surprising the other three. “I know that his seals did as he said they would. If Jaune says these… things will notify us of other angel’s then I’ll take his word for it.”

Jaune just stared at the other two waiting for their responses. Ren eventually sighed and nodded. “Fine, I’ll believe you for now, but this discussion isn’t over.” He was clearly still suspicious of him, but Jaune really couldn’t blame him at this point.

“It’s not like Ren and I are open about our pasts either.” Nora interrupted. “Maybe one day we can all break that barrier together?” Jaune just smiled gently, relieved they would leave the topic for now.

“Yeah.” The Angel said quietly as the serpent made its way over his shoe. “Maybe one day.”

XxxxxxxxxX

_Pyrrha was falling, plummeting through ever changing rings as reality warped into a blinding wildfire. The heat was unbearable! It felt like her skin was melting as the blaze seemed to intensify. A scream ripped from her throat as the raging inferno swiftly changed to a deathly chill. She hit the ground hard, gasping as a burning pain radiating through her legs. The floor was so cold it literally blistered her skin! She tried to run searching desperately for relief, finally spotting a rock jutting through the solid ground. She lept for it, not even caring how badly the sharp stones shredded her knees. It wasn’t as cold as the ground, offering a small sanctuary to cradle her bleeding feet._

_Pyrrha curled up on the boulder as her senses started returning. It was extremely dark, but she could tell by the distant moaning sounds echoing off the walls that she was likely in a cavern of some sort. It was extremely cold too, freezing like the hardening room in an ice cream factory. She shivered as a fresh chill wracked her frame. It didn’t take long to realize she was in nothing but her nightgown. Why was she inside a cave wearing only pyjamas?!_

_The floor suddenly illuminated slightly in an eerie blue light, revealing a huge sheet of ice. It wasn’t just ice. Odd forms seemed to be frozen deep into the floor, going down farther than she could see. The champion looked around desperately trying to find an escape, but the cavern seemed to stretch on forever in every direction. She gasped audibly upon looking up, seeing a jagged frozen ceiling with those odd forms again. She could see a few more clearly though, realizing those were people inside the ice. How did they get in there?!_

_A low growl caught her attention. She spun around quickly seeing a large raised mound with a jagged throne. Atop of it sat a beastly form. It was large, a crown of goat like horns protruding from its head with horrible yellow eyes boring into her very soul. Its hair cascaded like onyx veils past it’s shoulders, and dark batlike wings protruded from its back. It’s skin was a scaly red texture contrasting the black robe around its waist. To top it all off a brightly glowing metallic crown sat atop that thing’s head. An odd contrast to the otherwise evil looking figure. The beast stared straight ahead in deep contemplation while chewing something in its teeth._

_Her heart stopped for a moment as an intense fear left her completely immobile. The energy that thing radiated was horrible. It felt like all positive emotions were being sucked into a black hole never to surface again. Pain, sorrow, jealousy, anger. She was drowning in a sea of her own negativity, and she’d be swallowed whole if she didn’t escape. Pyrrha tried backing away, only to realize the monster didn’t see her. How could it miss her when she stood right in its line of sight? Was she invisible or something?_

_After what felt like an eternity the thing stood up, opening its mouth and pulling a glowing ball of light now trapped in its clawed fingers. But the orb didn’t stay that way. She could vaguely see the form of a man trying to manifest, but the damage made by the monster’s teeth left it far beyond salvaging. The wretched thing cried in pain though the beast ignored its plea for mercy. Holding his left hand forward he roughly broke through the floor with his fist shoving the spirit deep into the ice. The wailing stopped as a wispy black smoke seemed to radiate from the hole he made, and with a smooth motion the monster pulled a three pronged weapon from the ice. It was a trishul, though she had difficulty making out any details about it. Everything was becoming difficult to see, like an undulating filter was being put over the scene. The monster then held its right hand out. A long blurry thing with glowing yellow eyes seemed to separate from his body, taking the monster’s place on that black throne appearing like a corporeal version of the original beast. The monster’s form suddenly shifted when the other exited, its horns disappearing and bat wings turning white. It’s long black hair became blonde and the bumpy red skin took on a peach tone. It was a male Angel with eyes constantly glowing a bright yellow color, the only detail she could clearly make out on his face._

_He took the trishul in hand and began carving a circle in the air, an odd portal starting to form. Pyrrha was immediately blinded by an otherworldly light. Her body was quickly sucked through the portal as the Angel stepped through. She was instantly warmed in the safe bright lighting. All the fear she felt in that cave was quickly sidelined by a wonderful heat now flooding through her entire body. Another light flashed before her and Pyrrha was forced to keep her eyes closed. She could hear the muffled voices of other beings, all of them speaking in hushed tones. Clearly they weren’t happy with their newest visitor._

_“My Lord, I came to speak with you.” An almost familiar voice stated, but it sounded too warped for her to recognize._

_“Satan, I know what you came about. Please take a look at this.” Another voice spoke, but this one had a far more overwhelming presence. Pyrrha could literally feel the sound waves reverberate through her core. Suddenly images began flashing through Pyrrah’s mind of a middle aged man wearing robes in very archaic surroundings. Despite that he seemed to be wealthy, surrounded by several loving women and ten children._

_“The human- Wait, WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE!?” The cold voice of Satan suddenly turned frantic. Her eyes were still squeezed shut but she could feel a set of shocked yellow pupils boring into her. “GET OUT!” Her body was suddenly blown backwards into a vacuum of darkness. She screamed when her being was ripped and pulled out of the scene and into oblivion._

XxxxxxxxxX

Pyrrha shot up in bed gasping, reaching down for her feet as that terrible burning returned. She winced at both the pain and memory, trying to sort out whatever she had just witnessed. She had had dreams of falling before, and always remembered her body feeling like it actually took a plunge directly after waking despite never leaving bed. Phantom burn pains from a nightmare were completely new though. A loud thud and several mumbled curses made her look to the left, seeing Jaune had fallen out of bed and whacked his head on the nightstand. His scroll and several books were littered across the floor with his prone form.

“Are you alright Jaune?” Pyrrha questioned, but the Angel only groaned in response. A sniffle to her right quickly distracted her, seeing they weren’t the only two awake.

Nora looked completely shell shocked, hugging herself tightly while trying to fight back tears. Ren was awake too, initially rubbing his legs before his partner started crying.

“Nora?” Ren crawled out of bed, now wide awake and worried for his best friend. Pyrrha just took her legs out from under the covers to examine the soles of her feet, not seeing the blisters she clearly felt.

“W-What happened?” Pyrrha questioned the others.

“I think it was just a nightmare.” Ren said unaware of Pyrrha’s own situation. He didn’t sound convinced though, as a light tremble in his voice betrayed something other then Nora had woken him up. She turned to help her partner only to see him stumbling towards the bathroom and locking the door without a word. She looked down thoughtfully still massaging her sore skin.

What in the world just happened? And why did everyone else wake up? She glanced at the time on her scroll, seeing it was almost five thirty in the morning on Saturday. The same day that stupid dance was taking place. Nobody asked her to be their date as expected, nor did Jaune ever catch onto her feelings. Either that or he knew and didn’t feel the same. Pyrrha honestly couldn't blame him at all for it. She was a far more horrible partner then he deserved. Regardless she had originally planned to spend most of her day sulking silently and acting the part of a happy dance attendee when the time came. After that dream though her head was a scrambled mess of thoughts and emotions.

There was no way she could fall back asleep now. Her adrenaline was still pumping and that burning sensation hadn’t completely faded. She glanced back at her other two teammates. Nora had calmed down a bit but still looked upset, and even Ren seemed very alert. It looked like none of them were falling back asleep anytime soon. There had to be something they could do to settle down…

“Ren. Would you mind teaching me how to make your famous pancakes? I’m sure we could all use a… tasty treat right now.” The boy just looked up with a raised brow.

“Wouldn’t you rather go back to bed?” He questioned before she subtly gestured towards Nora. The bomber seemed to perk up a bit at the mention of food and Ren quickly caught on. “That’s… an excellent suggestion. I’ll get the ingredients ready.” He stood gingerly and almost limped out of the dorm room clearly in some sort of pain as well. Pyrrha decide to sit with Nora in the meantime.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Pyrrha questioned rubbing her back gently.

“I-it felt so real and… cold.” She whispered. Pyrrha’s heart plummeted at the mention of temperatures.

“Were you in a dark cavern with some sort of monster?” The champion asked. Nora’s eyes widened in surprise.

“H-how did you know?” Pyrrha paused looking at the bathroom door. Jaune wasn't making any noises, so she doubted he’d be out anytime soon. Still, something about this whole thing felt extremely off.

“.... I think we should wait to talk this over with Ren.”

XxxxxxxxxX

Jaune staggered into the shower and turned the water as cold as it would go. He ripped his shirt off and stepped in, clumsily tightening the bandage wraps keeping his wings from growing back. He could feel his magic pooling as if danger was right behind him. His back was crawling ready to sprout wings at any second to protect him. The Angel knew better though, and really just needed to calm down.

He leaned against the tile wall as the water chilled his skin and muscles, his body starting to tremble from the cold though he ignored its protest. He was still trying to process what occurred.

That didn’t just happen. There was no way he pulled them into his dreams. It was impossible! He had to make the conscious effort to share dreams with others, so how on earth did they get involved?

He stayed that way deep in thought until his body stopped shivering. His bones literally felt frozen solid and everything completely numb. At least his magic and nerves had calmed a bit, enough for him to feel safe leaving the bathroom. Swiftly he cranked the faucet turning the shower head off. He grabbed his towel and made his way towards the sink. Jaune rubbed the water from his scraggly hair before peering into the large mirror. To say he looked like shit would be an understatement. His eyes were sunken with dark rings lining his lids, and his skin was paler than usual. Then that blasted serpent appeared by his reflection, watching him mockingly.

“What did you do?” Jaune growled.

‘I did nothing.’ The serpent hissed. ‘Sharing that dream was your own doing.’

“Liar!” He snarled back. He wasn’t taking this thing’s bullshit right now. If it didn’t talk then he’d force it.

‘Are you sure?’ The snake answered wrapping around his bare shoulders. ‘You’ve been very stressed lately. Today’s the day. Uriel might make her move and without taking me back your power is more than halved. That’s what happens when you’re split in two after all.’

Jaune smashed a closed fist into the mirror, cracking the glass from top to bottom. It looked like a massive intricate spider web, his reflection showing back in every shard. The snake was still there too, several hundred smaller versions now staring back through the pieces of cracked glass. Every set of yellow eyes boring through his skin.

‘Remember how much easier things were when we were one being? You wouldn’t even need to fret about Uriel’s attack.’ The angel stepped back until his body hit the wall, beginning to feel far more powerless under the gaze of several hundred eyes.

“But if I let you in I’ll be alone again.” Jaune whispered. He didn’t want to do that. He COULDN’T do that. Several millennium of loneliness, being in complete seclusion except for the souls he punished. He had believed his position as God’s Inquisitor more important than being liked among his fellow Angels. But the bitterness that self imposed isolation left him with…

He shook the thought away. He wouldn’t even entertain the idea. He finally had people he genuinely cared about and he wouldn’t risk that for anything. He’d figure something out despite the differences in strength. He had to believe that anyway. He’ll, he probably imagined them in his dream. He’s just stressed out and imagined them. That would make more sense than anything else. Jaune would just discreetly ask them and get this whole thing cleared up. He needed to get changed first though.

Carefully he cracked the door open before peering through the door, confirming that his teammates had indeed left the room. He wasn’t sure where they went though. The lounge perhaps? Regardless this gave him a moment to himself.

He changed into jeans and a long sleeve olive green hoodie with some odd robot on the front, one of the many shirts his sist- the Arc sisters had gotten him before leaving for Beacon. He should watch Uriel and Azrael before the dance started, seeing if they did any prep work for who knows what disaster. He shuffled down the hallway lost in thought. A jumbled mess of what were supposed to be ideas, though there was little purpose to any of it.

“... feet were hurting as well?” Jaune pauses at hearing Pyrrha’s voice, finally getting smart and looking for any souls nearby. Indeed all three of his teammates were gathered around in the student lounge. He knew he shouldn’t eavesdrop, but the fact that they were discussing the incident this morning unfiltered was enough for him to justify it. He leaned close against the wall while the three chatted amongst themselves.

“Yes. I woke up and thought the soles of my feet had burned off.” Ren said with a slight hint of concern.

“It was more my hands and knees.” Nora whispered. “I thought they were frozen solid.”

“Have any of you had experiences with phantom pains like this before?” Pyrrha questioned.

“No… I’ve had plenty of nightmares in the past, but none of them had ever resulted it something like this.” Jaune swallowed hard as his heart sank. He really pulled them into his head. He couldn’t deny that fact now. Not only that, but the effects were strong enough to physically hurt them. He actually harmed his teammates. It was unintentional of course, but the fact that he didn’t mean to scared him more. He didn’t know the trigger for it, which meant this incident could happen again.

“Do any of you know what a ‘Satan’ is?” Nora asked. His stomach could have fallen through the floor at that point. The realization that they saw so much was more than he could bare.

“No, I’ve never heard the word before. At least as far as I remember.” Pyrrha stated thoughtfully. “Ren?”

“No, and I can’t find the word online.” Ren sighed.

“Do you think Jaune knows?” The bomber questioned.

“I doubt he’ll answer honestly.” Ren deadpanned. “He’s probably responsible for the shared nightmare too.”

“But he’s been trying to be honest with us. Perhaps he’s-“

“Pyrrha. We just learned there are more Angels in Beacon then we realised, and he knew.” Ren interrupted. “I’m honestly starting to wonder if he’s trying to get us killed.”

“Ren!” Pyrrha said in a shocked tone.

“You can feel how you wish about him, but if Jaune tries anything I won’t hold back.”

“Like that would do much…” The bomber whispered.

“Nora?” Pyrrha asked desperately. There was a brief pause before she responded.

“I… I don’t know. I want to trust him, but I also think Ren has a point-“ Jaune had heard enough. The Angel slowly stepped away and headed back to the dormroom. He knew the fallout would be bad, but this new knowledge left him more uncertain than ever. Was he making them feel trapped? Like they didn’t have a choice but to play along? That very well could be the case if Nora’s words were anything to go by. His demonstration was meant to teach them why fighting Uriel would be bad. He didn’t mean to shake the trust they’d already had.

He sighed heavily hanging his head in defeat. Screw stalking Uriel and Azrael. It’s not like he could do much to stop them anyway, nor was he the patron of do gooders to begin with. This whole thing was a stupid idea and now he hurt his friends because of it. If they honestly still considered him a friend.

Jaune swiftly grabbed his wallet and scroll before taking the back exit and heading towards the bullhead. Now would be a great time to learn if it’s possible for him to get drunk. He’d try his damn hardest if nothing else.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Special thank you to Maldevinine for beta reading this chapter. Always happy to have their help.
> 
> Bonus points to anyone that can figure out what Bible story that dream sequence was leading into. Satan only made three or four actual appearances in the canonical Bible so chances are pretty high you’ll get it right.
> 
> Comments are always appreciated!


	11. Where did the Party Go?

It was a brisk morning, the wind blowing chilled air through the dim streets as the sun hadn’t risen yet. The environment had taken on a pretty bluish hue indicating daybreak would happen soon, but the angel was too distracted to care. Jaune walked with his hood up and eyes downcast. He’d been to six bars already, four of them closed until later and the other two said he was “underage.” He’s a five thousand year old Angel for God's sake! And they have the nerve to refuse service! Well he’d just have to take his business elsewhere then, preferably somewhere that was actually open.

He didn’t see too many people out this early on a Saturday, except for the more athletic types going out for morning jogs. There were also far more dog walkers out then he wished to encounter, as dogs were the last animals he wanted to see right now. Every damn dog he passed had either snapped and snarled at him or attempted to run away with their tails tucked low. The next canine was no exception. Up ahead was a female deer Faunus running with their pet doberman. The dog was quick to catch on that something was off, and refused to get within fifteen feet of him. It whined and tried to run the opposite direction, but the owner wasn’t having it. She pulled the dog hard on its leash until they passed him, resuming their jog with the dog nearly pulling her off balance when it tried bolting. He sighed and watched the two go. At least the Faunus didn’t lash out he supposed, though that was expected. 

It was all another reminder of what type of Angel he was, though perhaps monster would be a better word for him. Only a monster would hurt their own friends and he was doing that both physically and psychologically. He tightened the strings on his hood and continued forward, coming across an interesting looking building. It had a large black door with a neon sign above it flashing “The Club” in big curvy letters. It looked like a bouncer was off to the side of the building taking a smoke, leaving the door unattended. Though there wasn’t a line anyway at six in the morning.

He looked around carefully before making his way to the door. Pulling the handle he realized the thing was unlocked. The Club must be open then, or that guard was an idiot. He shrugged it off and slipped inside, seeing the place practically deserted except for some staggering attendees making their way to the exit plus a few guys passed out on the dance floor with some men in suits heading over to throw them out. He walked towards the long white bar and took a seat, waiting until someone came to serve him. It took a few minutes before a big man in a black vest and red tie finally stepped in front of him rather annoyed.

“The club's closed kid. I suggest you leave.” Jaune ignored him, grabbing twenty lien from his wallet and setting it down.

“Could I get a drink please? The strongest you've got would be great.” The man just looked between him and the lien almost offended.

“You deaf? I said scram. Leave before I make you.”

“Is it not enough?” Jaune grabbed another twenty and set it down. He didn’t want to be turned down again, and the value of objects for currency was never something he took time to truly understand. There were so many different types of currency, and even with the Arc sisters teaching him the whole idea still made his head hurt. It was ironic since many souls he dealt with came to Hell due to greed, but it’s not like the Devil ever needed to shop for himself. If money could make humans sin then clearly adding more would do something. “Will you give me one now?” The man responded by grabbing the neck of his jacket and pulling him off his seat.

“Listen dumbass, I’ll kick your bony ass-“

“Hey Boss.” The bartender froze, looking up at the goon that stopped him. “The girls have a message for ya.” He dropped the Angel roughly and walked around towards his underling. Jaune could vaguely hear the two talking in hushed voices, though he couldn’t understand a word of it. The man came back though while grumbling curses and reaching for his lien. He roughly took it before slamming three small glasses of dark liquid in front of him.

“You must have the worst luck kid. The twins have their eyes on you.”

“That’s nice.” Jaune responded absently swirling the fluid in his glass. He brought it to his lips and downed the alcohol in a few gulps. The nasty shit burned his mouth and entire esophagus on the way down but he wasn’t feeling any different. He double fisted the last two and drank the cups quickly, enjoying the warm feeling that started washing over him. It stopped quickly, his body recognising the alcohol as poison and healing his system. This couldn’t be the strongest he had. The man must have watered this stuff down.

Jaune grabbed the last fifty lien from his wallet and set it down. “Could I get a few more please?” The man didn’t respond right away, staring at him in complete disbelief. 

“You do realize you downed three glasses of Jägermeister in under a minute?”

“Is this the strongest you have? It barely affected me.” The bartender almost seemed insulted by the comment, his eyes narrowing as he quickly grabbed four glasses and several fancy shaped bottles. One of the labels read “Everclear” and another one said “Sunset Rum.” Jaune couldn’t tell what else the man mixed in but it didn’t take him long to get them ready. He deftly mixed the fluids together and set them forward.

“It’s your funeral kid. A cocktail of the strongest I’ve got. If you end up dead from this it’s not my problem.” The man stepped back while Jaune took a tall glass in each hand. These certainly smelled stronger, and they bubbled a bit. He shrugged and drank both glasses quickly. It burned way worse than the last drinks did, and he thought his ear canals would blister with how strong it was. He shivered and quickly downed the other two despite the man now trying to stop him. Jaune coughed a bit setting the glasses down and waiting while his raw burning throat quickly healed. 

“For the love of Oum I didn’t think you'd keep it down! Are you trying to kill yourself?!” Jaune ignored the man’s ranting as he waited for something to happen. His words were starting to sound distant and a fresh warmth was bubbling through his system again. His body became clumsy as his head sunk to the table. This must be what drunk feels like. Or maybe it’s the precursor buzz. His head was getting airy and it was increasingly difficult to care what the right term was. He barely reacted when two sets of hands grabbed both his arms and yanked him to the floor. It was almost funny, seeing the bartender watch as Jaune was dragged towards the back and thrown into a room. The kidnappers wasted no time in pinning him down. One of the perpetrators walked into his line of sight, a pretty looking girl with long black hair and harshly cut bangs glared down at him. Actually there were two girls, both of them appearing like duplicates of each other except for the color of their clothing. The one on the right wore a short white dress with lace and a feathered neck accessory, while the other stood in a bright red dress with larger black feathers framing her face. They stood on either side of his body, both placing a heeled shoe on his chest as their eyes began glowing in an eerie red light.

Jaune groaned as his body finally started fighting off the effects of the alcohol. His brain slowly caught up with how dire the situation actually was, and before he could sit up a strong force glued him tightly to the floor. He managed to see a red glow radiating off the ground around his body matching the color of the girl’s’ eyes. 

This wasn’t good.

“It’s been a while Lucifer.” The girl in white stated coldly. The one in red followed with a victorious smirk.

“I’ve been waiting a long time to do this.” She licked her lips in anticipation. Jaune finally got the sense to judge their souls, confirming that they weren’t human at all.

“Raguel and Sariel.” Lucifer sighed. The former was the Archangel of harmony and justice, always eager to see evildoers pay whether it be among humans or angels alike. It wasn’t like they had the worst relationship though. She was out to serve justice, he wanted all unworthy souls to suffer eternally. Jaune supposed he shouldn’t be surprised though. It’s not like he got along with any of his fellow Archangels.

Sariel was a surprise to see though. As the former leader of the Fallen Angels that sought to corrupt mankind by impregnating their women, it was hard to believe she’d be sent on a mission to hunt him down. Somehow the Angel managed to find redemption with the Lord despite her sins. He never expected in a million years to see Sariel working with Raguel of all angels. 

“It’s Melanie and Militia currently, but if that’s what you prefer we’ll go by our true names.” Sariel said in a venomous voice. Jaune could only stare ahead deep in thought. He was in a really tough spot now, and all because he dropped his guard and didn’t bother judging the souls of the club attendees. It’s not like he expected to see them here of all places, but that didn’t excuse his idiocy in dropping his guard.

“I can’t believe you made it this easy.” Archangel Raguel stated fluffing the white feathers around her neck. “I completely believed you had come to hunt us down, but instead you actually tried getting drunk. Before I enact judgment upon you, do you have any last words?” Jaune thought for a moment, a small glimmer of hope welling in his chest.

“If I die, will Uriel cease her attack on the humans?” Both angels paused for a moment, glaring like he’d grown a second head.

“I beg your pardon?” Sariel questioned while extending clawed weapons from her wrist.

“Will Uriel leave the humans of this realm in peace if I die?” He questioned again. Sariel stared at him as if trying to read his mind, finally choosing to ignore his question and surrounded her claws in angelic magic. She moved to severe his head but was swiftly caught mid swing by Raguel.

“Stop.” The Archangel stated with authority. “Something’s off.” The girl in white leaned down and placed a hand around the side of his face, using her own powers exclusive to the Angel of justice. The only celestial that could judge a fellow Angel. Memories of his time in Remnant flashed before his mind and hers. His first time waking up in the Arc household, meeting the sisters that lived their, entering Beacon, befriending his teammates, and encountering Uriel. Everything he thought and felt at the time were brought up to the surface, all laid bare for Raguel to see. Apparently the Archangel didn’t find what she was expecting.

“Well?” Sariel asked impatiently.

“This is all wrong. He hasn’t actually tried anything since coming here.”

“What do you mean he hasn’t tried anything?! This is Satan your talking about!”

“I know, but he doesn’t feel like the same Lucifer I remember. This may be a trick of some sort.” Raguel dispelled some of the magic bonding him in place, letting Jaune sit upright despite Sariel’s protest. The Archangel ignored her and instead stepped out of the room for a moment. She came back carrying a large bullet of some sort, resembling the rounds Ruby typically used. “Bite this thing in two.” She commanded.

“What are you trying to do now?” Sariel questioned angrily.

“The worst punishment in Hell was to be eternally chewed between Satan’s teeth, something I believe would manifest over here. If he can bite this thing in half I’ll believe it’s really him.” Jaune took the bullet and shrugged, placing the tip of the metal between his molars and biting down hard. It didn’t require as much force as he actually used, but the metal deformed and split between his teeth while the cartridge bent out of shape spilling fire Dust in his mouth. He coughed up some powder and presented the destroyed round back to Raguel, whom took it with a quick nod. “It’s Lucifer all right.”

“I still don’t believe it.” Sariel stated unamused. “Your methods of identification seem flawed-“

“You didn’t answer my question.” Jaune interjected trying to get them back on track. “Will the Angels leave humanity in peace if I die?”

“I’m surprised you care. Since when did the fate of humanity concern you?” Sariel sneered.

“Since I came here. Now will you answer my question or not?” Sariel was about to banter more but Raguel stopped her.

“Do you mind asking Junior for a few drinks? I think we need to talk this out.” She turned to Jaune and completely released him from the ground. “Sorry about this brother, but we need to have a serious talk.”

“I couldn’t agree more.” Jaune stood following Raguel into a new room with an actual table. The two took a seat and waited for Sariel to return. A thug was sure to deliver a platter of alcohol before leaving the three to their conversation. He took a glass and sat rigidly in his seat, watching the two impatient ladies. “Alright, where do I even begin?”

XxxxxxxxxX

Breakfast at Beacon was awkward to say the least. Team RWBY had spent the last few days preparing dance decorations since team CFVY ended up on an extended mission and couldn’t pull through. Aside from meals the two teams hadn’t interacted much, and the awkward silence was testimony to that. Team RWBY sat on one side of the table, Blake surprisingly looking more at ease with her face buried in a book. The same could not be said for the heiress. Weiss was too busy glaring off to the side while absently stirring her morning coffee to converse. Poor Yang and Ruby were sitting with Blake between them and the Ice Queen as a shield, both clearly hoping for a moment of normal conversation with the three attending members of JNPR. Unfortunately the three of them couldn’t really provide that, especially after the horrible morning they all had. Ren sipped his coffee trying desperately to stay awake while Nora slowly picked through her eggs in uncharacteristic silence, sitting shoulder to shoulder with Ren as if fearing her partner would take off at any second. Pyrrha was too busy on her scroll, sending what the others assumed were a wall of text messages.

“So… is everyone excited for the dance?” Yang asked with a forced grin. Ruby smiled and nodded but quickly frowned at everyone’s lack of enthusiasm.

“I’m sorry, did you say something?” Pyrrha asked startled. Clearly something was bothering them but nobody was talking.

“Are you guys alright? You all seem a bit tired.” Ruby finally asked worriedly.

“We didn’t get much sleep.” Ren commented before downing the rest of his mug.

“Is that why Jaune's not here?” Ruby tried next. Ren looked off to the side trying to keep his expression neutral.

“... yes.” Was all he said before standing. “I’m going to get more coffee. Does anyone want anything?”

“Could you get me some more juice for me please?” Nora asked. Ren nodded with a small grin before walking off.

“That was… something.” Yang commented. “Did you guys have a fight?”

“No.” Nora said quietly. “It’s more a lack of things said.”

“I don’t think I follow.” Ruby said looking between the two. Nora was still too distracted and Pyrrha wasn’t sure how to explain things. She choose to change the subject instead.

“Blake, That looks like an interesting book. What’s it called?” The Faunus looked up a bit surprised at being called out.

“It doesn’t have a title. It’s just school notes.”

“Oh… that’s nice.” Pyrrha strained a smile. Weiss stood up having had enough of the awkward small talk. She took her half finished mug of coffee and turned away. 

“I’m going to do some studying in the library.” She walked off without another word despite Rudy’s protest.

“Is she okay?” Pyrrha questioned grateful to see the sisters distracted.

“Not sure.” Yang stated. “She’s been like this since last night. We thought it was more of something bad happening back home, but she really doesn’t want to talk right now.” The champion nodded remembering spotting the heiress with Neptune last night. Perhaps it was related?

“Maybe you should ask Neptune. They seemed to be having fun the other night.”

“Neptune you say?” Yang asked suspiciously. Her mouth shifted into a frown before nodding. “I’ll see about tracking him down, I’m sure Blake will know where to find him.” The Faunus rolled her eyes and continued reading. Pyrrha agreed before looking back down at her phone. “So who are you talking to?” The brawler tried next.

“No one. I’m just trying to contact Jaune.”

“Is he alright?” Ruby questioned.

“Yes! I mean, I think so? After… this morning he disappeared without a word. We’re not sure where he went.”

“Perhaps he just needed some air?” Blake added quietly. That was the first time she’d actively joined a conversation regarding the fallen angel since that night in the woods. “You all seem rather stressed.”

“Right. That’s probably it…” Pyrrha trailed off looking guilty. She rubbed her arm and looked off to the side before Yang growled in frustration, just in time for Ren to return.

“Come on you three! Today is supposed to be fun! There’s plenty of time for moping tomorrow. I snapped Blake out of her funk and will do the same to you three too!” She cracked her knuckles loudly, getting all three of them to tense. 

“That won’t be necessary!” Pyrrha smiled tensely. “We’re all just a bit tired. Perhaps some time resting before tonight will do us some good. Right guys?”

“We can nap before hand?” Ren sounded almost hopeful.

“I don’t want to sleep though.” Nora groaned.

“We can spar some outside today, and Ren can rest. How does that sound?” Nora thought about it for a moment before smiling wide.

“Alright, That sounds great.”

“Wow, your methods actually worked Yang.” Blake commented with a knowing grin.

“Hey! What’s that supposed to mean?” Yang fumed but Blake was already gone. The blonde chased after her with Ruby looking to the other team still concerned. 

“Seriously guys, what’s going on?” 

“Please Ruby, I don’t want to talk about it.” Nora whispered. Ren rubbed her shoulder reassuringly.

“We’ll talk this out with the full team once were all together.” Ren reassured. Pyrrha just checked her scroll again only to be disappointed by the lack of replies. Ruby looked between the three and nodded.

“Alright. It’s just… I don’t like seeing you guys so stressed. If you need Yang to knock some sense into Jaune or something just ask.”

“I think Nora is capable of that herself, but the offer is appreciated.” Ren nodded while Ruby stood up to follow after her own team, leaving the three teens to themselves. 

“Are we as bad as Jaune?” Nora ask after a moment of silence.

“Why would you ask that?” Ren inquired.

“Well, whenever we ask Jaune questions he gets evasive. When Team RWBY wants to help none of us spoke up either. It feels… ” 

“Hypocritical?” Ren suggested. She nodded and rubbed her arm guiltily. The teen thought for a moment before answering.

“I believe our issue is more internal. We should try working this out amongst the team before dragging others into it.” Nora smiled at his reassurance.

“Okay Ren, I trust you.” The dark haired boy grinned while The champion remained quiet. She had been on her scroll the whole time and it was starting to get aggravating

“Pyrrha, if he hasn’t responded by now he’s probably busy.” Ren sighed.

“I know. But what if something went wrong?”

“The guy's almost indestructible.” Nora waved her off. “If nothing else he’s probably walking around Vale.” Pyrrha looked between the two and back down at her scroll. “How many messages have you sent anyway?”

“Sixteen…. I thought maybe he hadn’t seen the first five so I just kept sending more.” She looked surprised to see their creeped out expressions. “What? Too excessive?”

“... yes Pyrrha. I think you’ve sent a few too many.” The girl whined, begrudging putting the scroll in her pocket.

“Come on you two, let’s get to work! I have a lot of energy to burn!” Nora bounded out of the mess hall with a fresh wave of enthusiasm. Ren and Pyrrha followed behind, trying to hide their own worries. 

Everything would work out in the end. 

It just had to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Special thank you to Maldevinine for beta reading this chapter.
> 
> Oh boy, some new angels have entered the fray and everyone’s being evasive. Why is Lucy being hunted? What’s Cinder up to? What could it all mean!?
> 
> Plus Dante’s Inferno comes into play. For those that don’t know it’s a book about this guy Dante whom gets a person tour through the nine rings of hell and gets to meet all of his favorite philosophers and authors (so a self insert fic before they had an offial name). At the ninth ring it’s a cold desolate tundra where a three headed Satan chews the souls of the worst sinners for the rest of eternity. I liked the idea so I incorporated it so Lucifer can pretty much chew through most things, especially when he’s distracted an not thinking. He’s gone through a lot of silverware sinse coming to Remnant.
> 
> Feedback is always appreciated.


	12. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

“And that’s how I ended up in Vale.” Jaune finished his tale and waited for the others to respond. He recounted his escapades in Remnant up until this point, and he didn’t know what his peers would think. Well, peer at least. Raguel had already judged him and saw his memories first hand, though she hadn’t made any comments yet. Both angels just watched carefully before Sariel’s eyes narrowed.

“Bullshit.” She growled. 

“He’s not lying. That lines up with everything I saw.” The other argued.

“We’re still talking about the Great Deceiver, right? Because last time I checked he specializes in manipulation and lies.”

“I’m not sure why this is such a shock to you. You were more of a rebel rouser then I ever was.” Jaune pointed out. “I was merely a tempter. It’s not like I’ve ever indulged myself. Unlike another angel in this room.”

“How dare you classify yourself as one of us!” Sariel snarled. Her red eyes glinted in sheer rage and she looked about ready to strangle him.

“Wait? Are angry that you can’t go impregnating girls right now?”

“Listen here you shit!” She summoned several spikes around his face ready to turn his body into Swiss cheese. “I don’t care what my orders are! Keep this up and I-“

“Would you calm down already. We aren’t here to argue.” Raguel sighed flicking the other girl’s forehead. Sariel begrudgingly complied, mumbling curses under her breath while still plotting his imminent death.

“Right. You still haven’t answered my question.” Jaune continued narrowing his eyes at the two. “If you apprehend me, will Uriel cease her plans?”

“We can’t really answer that one.” Sariel replied angrily while playing with a black feathers in her hair. “Uriel stopped working with us a few years back. She and Azrael sort of disappeared for a while before showing up again in Vale last month. She hasn’t even stopped by to say hello.”

“So whatever she’s planning might not even be related to me?” Jaune questioned a bit bewildered.

“Perhaps. Or perhaps not.” Sariel shrugged. “The point is she won’t communicate, and neither of us come close to her power wise. With everyone else spread thin across Vale it’s hard to get a force together to confront her.” Jaune looked to the small shot glass in his hand, swirling the dark liquid absently. So there were definitely more angels in Remnant then he cared for, but not all were in Vale. But that could also mean...

“Oh God, please tell me Michael isn’t here.” Jaune rubbed his forehead trying not to imagine how much worse this could be. 

“He’s actually back on what’s left of Earth last I knew.” Jaune raised an eyebrow in surprise.

“He’s trying to do your job right now. Nobody else was quiet strong enough to keep all those demons of yours in check, or track down the missing ones.” Sariel answered while examining her manicured nails. “Not that he’s very good at it. You’ve always had a special way about you when it came to damned souls and monstrosities.” 

Jaune couldn’t help but chuckle. “I hope that prick is having fun then. I’m not planning on going back to it.”

“Though I can't really blame you, he did give us a time limit. Michael gave us fifty years of Earth time to figure this out, and if we can’t by then he’ll come to finish you off.” Raguel stated.

“Or drag you back to watch over the damned again.” Sariel added while grabbing a martini. “Those are really the only two options you have.” Jaune looked over to Raguel suspiciously.

“Are you of all celestials honestly going to destroy a fellow angel trying to make up for their own sins?” He and Raguel stared each other down seeing who would cave first, only for the latter to burst out laughing.

“I wouldn’t be a very good Angel of Justice then would I?” She flipped the hair from her face and sighed. “Neither of us can really help you, but we won’t stop you either. No, I sense you are genuinely trying to change, and for that I can only support you. Though I don’t understand how. I’ve never seen you so mellow before, or agreeable.” Jaune looked to the side seeing that damn snake watching him from the shadows. Raguel followed his line of sight only for her eyes to widen. “Huh? What is this?”

“That wasn’t here before.” Sariel growled. “And it has you written all over it!” She aimed her claws at Jaune’s neck ready to strike. Realization suddenly dawned on him, a fresh hope welling in his chest.

“You can see it?!” Jaune questioned startled. 

“Of course we can. Though I take it humans cannot, correct?” Raguel said looking at the snake cautiously. Jaune just nodded dumbly. In all honestly the fact someone else could see it was comforting at least. He wasn’t going completely crazy. “It feels like you Lucifer.”

‘Because I am him.’ The snake answered before disappearing. It materialized on his shoulder, looking at the girls rather annoyed.

“Fascinating.” Raguel mussed after a moment’s pause. “And do you hang around often?”

‘I am always here. Holding my knowledge close. The idiot just refuses to take it back-‘ Jaune grabbed the serpent's throat and crushed it into a ploom of black smoke. 

“Sorry about that.” He sighed. “That things been showing up a lot recently. I think it’s because I’ve been so… preoccupied with Uriel.”

“I’m curious about this knowledge it spoke of. Why won’t you accept it?” Jaune grimaced at her question and looked away. He wasn’t going to say it. She knew enough to figure it out herself. It would mean taking back the part of him that hates humans. The zealous part that goes out of his way to be cruel. He didn’t want to be that again, whatever knowledge it held be damned.

“You must be so weak, being split in two.” Sariel smirked. “How did that happen? Was it self inflicted, or did something else go wrong?” Jaune stood up briefly heading to the cart of alcohol a mobster left behind a little earlier. He grabbed an Everclear bottle and sat back down gruffly. Jaune wasn’t going to entertain that damn question. Raguel ignored his glares and instead looked to the dark band poking through his shirt collar. She stood up and made her way over, stretching the shirt a bit to get a better look. 

“Mind explaining how this happened instead?” Raguel looked to him inquisitively. “Nothing about this was in your memories.”

“... That’s because I don’t know how it happened.” Jaune breathed swirling the large bottle slightly and watching the whirlpool it made. He didn’t want to look at either one currently, especially if they were playing this stupid game.

“Stop with the lying already. How could you forget something like that?” Sariel snorted.

“I told you, I don’t remember.” He growled. “Can we move onto something else now? Like maybe why the Angel Of Justice is currently working for mobsters?” Raguel just smiled with a small shrug.

“What can I say? Sariel has quite the rebellious streak, and I’m obligated to keep an eye on her.”

“Somehow I doubt that’s the only reason.” Jaune deadpanned before tensing when a foot rubbed up against his leg. Sariel was giving him a wicked grin, pushing her breast together accentuating her cleavage. 

“What’s the matter? Don’t tell me your jealous? I mean, if you want to try getting with the best information brokers in town you’ve come to the right place, though I don’t think they’re looking for male staff currently.”

“Oh stop teasing him.” Raguel stated before squeezing his shoulders sensually. He tensed immediately, throwing her a threatening glare that was met with heavy laughter. He shrugged her off before slouching with guarded movements.

“Did all of you take the form of women when you came here?” Jaune growled thinking back to the other two angels in Beacon.

“Gabriel didn’t.” Raguel smirked.

“Just how many of you came here anyway?” 

“It might be easier to tell you who isn’t here right now.” Raguel replied. “You'd be surprised how many angels have grudges against you.”

“For some reason I don’t think I would be.” Jaune scoffed while popping the cork off his Everclear. He was ready to start chugging when the girl in white stopped him.

“I am curious though.” Raguel stated before grabbing a fresh martini from the cart. “What happened after the battle? Michael struck you and suddenly your form vanished in a flash of light.” His mind briefly went to the sporadic images Uriel had shown him, but they ultimately amounted to nothing useful without context. He needed more to work with, and the angels before him might actually answer.

“What battle?” Jaune questioned trying to sound clueless. The two angels just chuckled.

“Oh Lucifer. I never knew you were one for jokes. This must be a new development.” Raguel waved him off. “Seriously though, what happened after Michael struck you?” Jaune just blinked and shrugged his shoulders, honestly not having an answer for either of them. Sariel just rolled her eyes.

“You’re still joking right? Seriously it’s not funny anymore.” Jaune just stared at her blankly. The girl in red waited for him to say something, until she realized he was being serious. “Wait. You really don’t remember?!”

“No.” Jaune shook his head with that simple answer. Sariel just glared, her eye twitching slightly in frustration.

“The Rapture happened! You were in the middle of it dumbass!” Jaune blinked, the word not springing any memories. Why would it though? The Rapture wasn’t scheduled for a long time and he was quite positive of that.

“Seriously though, what really happened?” Jaune asked again only to be met with a frustrated growl. Sariel began summoning glowing spikes above her shoulders ready to nail him before Raguel put a stop to it. The girl in white eyed him for any possible deceptions, though she already knew he couldn’t lie about what wasn’t in his memory to begin with. She instead started with her own question.

“What’s the last thing you remember?”

“Doing my job watching over Hell.”

“She means the last human event you remember.” Sariel rolled her eyes. “What were the humans up to?”

Jaune rubbed his temples trying his best to think of the past. There was a sizable gap, and he knew it had to be big since the jump between him performing his normal duties then waking up in Remnant was a drastic transition.

“Ummm… Babylon and Nineveh were pretty important. They made that tiered garden in one of the cities…” Jaune trailed off. The feats of human architecture were one of the few things he liked about the species, ever since those island people built the first massive structures. What were the islands called? Malta and Gozo? He couldn’t really remember, but those stone buildings were something he believed humans incapable of. Even more impressive was how quickly humans could tear these structures apart, whether it be during war or scrapping for parts. Still, nothing could quite rival a massive thriving garden in the middle of a desert.

“Those gardens stood for a very long time.” Raguel commented thoughtfully. “It still isn’t the best reference point. What were they actively doing? Was a particular city in any wars that you remember? Any stand out humans that had been sent to Hell? Other buildings that were recently constructed?” Jaune thought for a long moment. Wars… he remembered plenty of those. But what was the most recent?

“… that upstarting country in the north was just beginning to invade the southern lands. It was the something Empire.” He rubbed his forehead pulling at every straw he could. “They were all riled up by this one fellow. Al-what’s his nuts? It’s a bit foggy.”

“Roman Empire? Do you mean THE Roman Empire?!” Raguel leaned in wide eyed. “And… Alexander the Conqueror? The one that took over much of the Holy Lands?”

“Those sound right.” Jaune looked between the two girls now eyeing each other warily. 

“Do you recall… the lord incarnating as a human?” She finally asked.

“Wait, The Lord incarnated already?!” He made to stand up but was quickly forced back by two separate hands. 

“You’ll want to be seated for this one.” Sariel sighed with a hint of pity in her voice. 

“What?” He finally questioned when neither of them made to speak.

“Sorry, but your memory is missing several thousand years of human progress.” Jaune just stared at the two not comprehending the words. She said several thousand years of progress. That’s a lot of time, far more than he could understand missing. He felt his stomach clench as her words sank in. That couldn’t be right. How could he be missing that much of his memory?!

“How did it come to this?” He mumbled slumping back in his seat.

‘Because you’re a fool that refuses the truth.’ That familiar snake had materialized again and was currently wrapping around his ankle. The girl in white seemed to roll something around in her head before giving a defeated sigh. “I think I understand what happened.”

“What is it?” Jaune asked getting annoyed.

“Your shattered halo, the snake and those missing memories. I can only think of one thing that might cause it.” She leaned over and flicked the broken band of metal hanging around his neck. “Michael’s final strike hit you so hard, it literally split you in half along with your halo.” There was a brief pause before Sariel started chuckling. It began with small giggles,only to erupt into full blown cackling. The fallen angel tried to ignore her, but he couldn’t stop the slight blush of embarrassment across his cheeks.

“That isn’t possible.” Jaune shook his head instead. It had to be. No way in Hell would he suffer a loss that humiliating to Michael of all angels.

“Are you positive?” Raguel added also ignoring Sariel’s fit. “This is the first time I’ve ever heard of a halo being broken into pieces. Who’s to say it’s not the cause?” Jaune went quiet after that. No, he honestly had no idea if it was possible or not. When he awoke in this world and the thought of humanity didn’t disgust him, he believed something fundamental had changed. He was a new angel so to speak. Emotions had affected him far differently and his whole thought process had shifted. Contrary to what he believed though, this wasn’t really a sign that he was meant to seek redemption at all. Just some huge mistake he thought way too hard about. And Sariel’s laughter wasn’t helping...

“Do you mind?!” Jaune growled. Sariel took several deep breaths before trying to speak.

“I-it’s just- you’re such a fecking failure!” She went back into her cackling while Jaune just groaned in response.

“Cheer up brother.” Raguel tried giving him a reassuring pat on the shoulder. “It’s not all bad. You’ve managed to make friends for the first time in your life. That’s something to be proud of.”

“Until he screws that one up too- OWW!” Raguel delivered a swift kick to Sariel’s gut sending her tumbling from her seat. She shot her superior a death glare, though the Archangel wasn’t amused.

“I think coming to this realm was a great change of pace for all of us. Wouldn’t you agree Sariel?” The latter just responded by flipping her the bird. Jaune hummed not really sure what to say. Sariel had a point a he really hated that fact. Chances are he was going to ruin the relationships he’d built AND fail to confront Uriel. The reassurance of failure was only making this far harder and he wanted an out. He decided to grab the large bottle of Everclear instead, downing three fourths of the container before dropping his forehead to the table. He waited for that weird sensation to come and go, shivering a bit when the airy feeling in his head returned with a bit of warmth.

“Are you seriously trying that again?” Sariel rolled her eyes having finally gotten back in her seat. “Angels can’t get drunk idiot.” Jaune just shrugged not bothering to look up.

“It’s working for me… I think.” That made Sariel tense a bit, grabbing his shirt collar and pulling him to her eye level. “What do you mean ‘you think?’ I told you it’s impossible!” Jaune sighed when the feeling started to evaporate, all senses returning to normal. It lasted under a minute that time…

“Things start to feel really weird for a short period. My head gets all fluffy and things won’t stay upright. I’ve never felt anything like it.” The two girls looked to each other suspiciously.

“That’s not how humans describe drunkenness. You’re lying.”

“Maybe clip your wings off and try for yourself? Your body won’t recover as quickly.” Jaune suggested. It’s the only thing he could think of at least. “Unless I’ve failed in that regard to. You seem to think that’s all I’m good for.” Raguel decided she’d had enough, grabbing Sariel and forcing her to drop him back in his chair.

“Perhaps we’ve spoken enough for today.” Raguel sighed before shoving the other through the door and slamming it shut. “Sorry. She’s a difficult one to handle.” Jaune just barked out a laugh.

“You’re not wrong that’s for sure.” He made to stand up not expecting a folded piece of paper to be shoved in his hand.

“Call me if you ever want to talk. I can’t do much to help you, but the two of us are always here if you need to vent.” Jaune just looked between her and the note.

“Why are you doing this?” He finally asked. “We never got along well in the past. What is your reasoning for all this?” Raguel took a moment trying to choose her words.

“I already told you. I wouldn’t be a good Angel of Justice if I didn’t give you a chance to try.” She winked before turning to leave, pulling Jaune by the arm down a side hallway. They passed a few more monsters along the way, all of them eyeing him suspiciously though not daring to insult Raguel. They soon made it to a door with a red exit sign above it. She opened the door ushering him into a back alley. “Take a right and you’ll end up on South Main Street. You should be able to figure it out from there.”

“Thanks, Rag-“

“We’re in public stupid.” She interrupted. “Call me Melanie.”

“Right. Thank you Melanie.” 

He gave her a small bow before turning to leave, rounding several dumpsters before taking a right. There was South Main as expected, people crowding the streets doing their Saturday business. He fit seamlessly with the crowd. 

Jaune walked with a bit more pep in his steps then earlier that morning. He finally had some answers at least, and was happy to know he wasn’t losing his mind. Granted he wasn’t any closer to figuring out what Uriel was planning, or finding the best course when confronting his teammates later. Part of him couldn’t stop thinking of Earth either. If the Rapture truly happened that meant a lot of damned souls were probably strutting around like they owned the place. Would Michael be able to keep them all in check? That is, if he hadn’t abandoned the post already. It was odd, hearing that some of the demons had gone missing from Earth too. There wasn’t many places they could be either. It was either Earth, Hell or they’d been completely obliterated. Unless they somehow-

No, that was a stupid thought. He wasn’t even sure how the other angels managed to get in this dimension, much less himself. How could a demon accomplish such a feat without assistance? Then again, the fact that he wasn’t sure how made the possibility more likely, who’s to say he wasn’t followed by a few loyal demons? 

He checked the time on his scroll. The screen said it was only half past ten, along with twenty-three unread text messages from Pyrrha in his inbox…

Jaune shuddered to think what that could mean, and the thought of reading them now only made him feel sick. His thumb shakily hovered over the notification, strongly debating whether he should look or not. On the one hand it could be important. On the other the shear volume of text was never a good sign. What if she was explaining why they hated him and wanted him gone. He didn’t know if he was mentally prepared for that possibility.

Ultimately his hands closed the scroll before sliding it back in his pocket. He still had plenty of time to perform the ritual he was planning and read Pyrrha’s messages. No one ever said he had to read a text message right away, and it had only been a few hours since he left Beacon. They probably wanted more time alone.

Turning his thoughts to the task at hand Jaune started making a mental checklist. Hopefully his summons would work in this realm, though he half prayed his suspicions were wrong. If demons made it to Remnant who knew what sort of trouble they’d cause? Then again if they still fell under his command there was a small chance they could assist in taking Uriel down. Or they would completely disregard him. He was not at his full strength anymore, so that was a very likely possibility.

First things first though. He needed to find an abandoned building to work in, some candles and a full pig’s head. The latter would be at a butcher’s shop, right? Surely humans still killed their food in house and would be willing to sell one. That would be his first stop then.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> At least Lucifer has found allies-ish? At least one of them doesn't want to constantly rip his throat out.
> 
> thanks again to Maldevinine for beta reading this chapter. 
> 
> Enjoy!


	13. Lord of the Flies

Ren couldn’t sleep and he absolutely hated it. He couldn’t meditate either, his mind too bogged down by frustration and anger. Slowly the black haired boy opened his eyes to see the tree branches above gently swaying in the breeze, the quiet rustling of the green leaves above providing a soothing background noise. It was constantly interrupted by the clashing sounds of scraping metal and sparing going on not far away. The girls had been at it for a while now, which gave him plenty of time to think. Unfortunately his thoughts only seemed to go in circles and he couldn’t break the loop.

It was all about his supposed friend and team leader. Jaune was eternally frustrating, and it was becoming difficult for Ren to keep trusting him. Some other things about Jaune he was able to accept. He knew the feeling of wanting to hide one’s past, and he couldn’t blame Jaune for being hesitant. The bottom line though was that he hurt Nora. Jaune had hurt Ren and Pyrrha too, and instead of apologizing he ran off. No explanation. No notes. Just complete silence from the… thing that was supposed to be leading them.

He knew he shouldn’t be thinking that way, but it was getting harder to see Jaune as one of them. His suspicions were only heightened at his lack of response to Pyrrha’s desperate messages. Sure she went overboard, but that didn’t excuse the behavior. How could he ignore his own partner like that? How could he make Nora cry and not apologize? It wasn’t the behavior a leader should be showing much less a human being. But Jaune wasn’t actually human, the horrible images of the ghastly nightmare reminding him of that. Was what he’d seen the blonde’s true form? That monster in the dream had shifted into a more familiar silhouette. Though blurry Ren could only assume he’d seen Jaune morph from whatever that thing was.

The whole debacle only created more disturbing questions. What was their leader’s true form? Did the other angels look equally monstrous to the horned beast? But they all looked far too human currently.

He remembered one of the few stories from Professor Port’s class that he managed to stay awake for. It involved a Grimm that could possess objects and control them like body parts. What if Jaune was just a Grimm? Some sort of Grimm that could possess human, or steal their faces? That wouldn’t explain the light shield though, or his ability to track souls and summon glowing weapons. Okay, maybe he wasn’t a Grimm, and maybe Ren was overthinking this. Still, nothing made him feel any better about this, and it was just so frustrating-

“NO!”

Ren shot upright at hearing Pyrrha shriek. He glanced around frantically seeing Nora’s hammer levitating in the air, the owner on her back trying to figure out what had just happened.

“Nora?!” Ren rushed over helping his partner sit up.

“I’m fine Ren, it’s just…” She looked between Pyrrha and her floating weapon in clear confusion. “What was that for?” The champion was too flustered to answer right away, clutching her weapon trying to find words.

“I-I just thought you were- but now you’re okay…”

“Pyrrha, you're shaking.” She glanced down at her hands and Ren did too, realising how badly she was trembling. Pyrrha quickly turned away from the other two, finally dropping Nora’s hammer in her flustered state. Ren had seen enough at this point.

“What’s this all about?” Ren asked stepping over to her activating his semblance. He’d never seen Pyrrha so panicked before.

No, that was a lie. The night of the camping trip when Blake shot Jaune. That was the most vulnerable he’d ever seen her, and she hadn’t been acting the same since then. He watched as his aura sapped the fear from Pyrrha, her stance becoming more relaxed and shaking finally subsiding.

“I’m so sorry Nora.” Pyrrha said genuinely.

“I don’t care Pyrrha, I just want to know what’s wrong.”

“It’s something stupid.” The champion tried sidestepping around the question. “It’s fine. I just have a lot on my mind and-“

“Stop.” The bomber stated flatly. Pyrrha and Ren both stared at Nora.

“I’m sorry, what did you-“

“I said stop!” Nora looked at Pyrrha with a mix of frustration and worry. “Stop saying you’re okay! Ren knows you’re not, and I know too. Why are we pretending everything is fine?” She crossed her arms and looked off to the side. “All of these secrets and lies are tearing our team apart! Why can’t we be honest?” She looked back to the champion completely serious. “So I want you to tell us exactly what’s wrong before we completely fall apart.”

Ren was stunned. Nora rarely acted as the mature voice of reason, preferring to be cheery and see her friends laugh. Though the teen had to admit he hadn’t been the guiding voice he normally was. He let this whole mess get to him, and everything else seemed far less important. It was foolish to lose sight of the big picture.

He placed a reassuring hand on Nora’s shoulder. “You make a good point.” He looked up to Pyrrha expectantly. The champion shuffled awkwardly looking for any possible distraction. After finding none she let out a long sigh.

“It’s… hard to explain.” Pyrrha started. “It’s like I’ve been… seeing things. And I’m constantly on edge even when I know I’m safe.”

“What kind of things have you been seeing?” Ren asked.

“... I keep seeing horrible things.” Pyrrha shivered. “I thought I just saw Nora’s head explode.” Ren thought for a moment, quickly coming to the most probable solution he could think of.

“You’ve never seen someone die before.” Ren said as the pieces finally started to click. Seeing another person take a traumatic injury like that, a close friend no less, would be jarring for anyone. Ren knew that fact all too well. “And you’re afraid it will happen again?”

“I was right there Ren.” She said quieter then she probably intended. “If it had have been you or Nora instead…”

“But it wasn’t either of us.” Nora protested once Pyrrha trailed off. “And I thought it was because of some weird faunus thing that doesn’t have to do with anyone that’s not fearless leader.”

“But when we get out on real missions what then?” Pyrrha protested. “Those are unpredictable. Anything could happen, and if I can’t protect my teammates-“

“That’s the risk we take with this path in life.” Ren shook his head. “If Nora or I couldn’t protect ourselves we never would have made it this far. That burden doesn’t fall on your shoulders.”

“You don’t understand. I’m supposed to be-“ She trailed off seeing Ren’s stern expression. “... I… I have to go.”

“Pyrrha wait!” But Nora was too late. The champion was already out of sight leaving her teammates in the dust. The bomber slouched in disappointment, letting out a loud frustrated groan. “Why is talking so hard? It shouldn't be this hard!” Ren scratched his chin thoughtfully.

No, it really shouldn’t be this hard for friends to communicate, but this whole angel situation had thrown everybody for a loop. It had made it abundantly clear that everyone in team JNPR have walls they refused to cross with one another. Jaune not wanting to reveal his past, Ren and Nora keeping their lack of families a secret, and even Pyrrha with whatever that just was. If they were going to fix things somebody needed to take the first step, and it was clear Jaune and Pyrrha weren’t going to try. That left Ren with only one real option.

“You're right Nora, but the problem lies far deeper than any of us can see.” Ren stated. “I think I have an idea, but I’ll need your participation. Are you willing?”

“That’s a silly question. I’m always willing to help!” Nora announced.”What are you planning?”

“We should probably take a seat then. We’ll both need to pick our words very carefully-“

“Hey guys.” Ren turned his head seeing a familiar monkey faunus making his way over.

“Hi Sun!” Nora greeted cheerfully while Ren just gave a small nod.

“Have either of you seen Neptune recently? Yang wanted to have a quick talk with him but that was almost two hours ago.”

“Sorry. We haven’t seen either of them recently. Perhaps they are in team RWBY’s dorm?” Ren suggested. The faunus nodded in agreement.

“You’re probably right.” He sighed. “I’ll try there next. Call me if you see him, alright?”

“Can do!” Nora waved their friend off as he rushed to continue his search. Ren couldn’t stop the slight sense of dread welling up in his gut, though he wasn’t really sure why.

It didn’t matter. He and Nora had things to discuss. The ninja just hoped this would help break the ice between the four of them for good.

XxxxxxxxxX

Jaune finished drawing his pentagram, wiping his bloody thumb on his pant leg as he examined his work carefully. The inverted star was within a perfect circle, and drawn in the center was the sigil of the demon he hoped to contact. It looked like a loopy eight, with narrowed bud shapes instead of wide loops the number normally had. Two crosses stuck upwards from the upper loop, while two sticks with circles on the ends mirrored them below. It was perfect, nothing out of place.

He had set up inside an abandoned apartment complex near the docks. The entire building was layered with filth and who knows what growing on the ceiling, but at least all the human activity was a good distance away. Aside from the occasional horn blaring from an incoming ship or the echoing noises of heavy machinery it wasn’t too bad, except for the mess that is. There were beer cans and broken bottles strewn about that Jaune had pushed to the side, but it was a small price to pay for privacy. Jaune lit the candles he managed to snag from the clearance aisle in a small drug store near The Club. They were very narrow things, much like those candles the Arc family liked to stick in cakes.

His mind briefly returned to the humans that had taken him in. They had even made a few cakes for him too over the years. Jaune wasn’t sure why they did it. After living for five thousand years no one ever bothered to offer him such nice things. Usually sacrificial animals or decapitated heads. For some reason it made everyone else very happy though. Perhaps a cake would be a good offering to his teammates? He could stick in some leftover candles too. That would make them extra happy, right?

Jaune shook his head upon realizing all the candles around his circle were lit. He took one last look at the box which still had four candles left over. The title on the container read ‘Trick Candles,’ though he had no clue what that even meant. Sticking them in his jacket pocket he turned to the trash bag sitting behind him. This was by far the hardest thing he had to find. Oddly enough walking into the local butcher and asking for a pig’s head was abnormal if the cashier's reaction was anything to go by. He actually had to track down Vale’s slaughter house for that, then sneak into their dumpsters and fish through the disposed body parts. He took his jacket off for that much at least, though the rest of him was still splattered with blood and intestines. He had what he needed though, pulling out a sow's head still dripping with blood. The thing was only killed some time that morning, so thankfully it wasn’t rotting or smelling too badly. The flies were already starting to gather though, which was exactly what he wanted.

He carefully took the head and set it over the sigil in the circles center, placing his hands together and stepping back to the edge. Getting to his knees he pulled his hood over his head, inhaled sharply and summoned forth the little magic he could currently use. The blood of his pentagram started glowing a soft yellow color, the candles erupting into large whipping flames that failed to burn the wax away. He shut his eyes and concentrated, his mind drifting to that familiar dark dream space. Jaune searched around the immediate abyss not seeing what he wanted in the city.

Great.

Now Jaune had an entire world to search and he wasn’t even sure his theory was right yet. Still he sent out the call for his underling, hoping to find any indication of the demon’s presence.

The concept of time completely vanished. All distractions were forgotten as he sent his call out further. It was a definite strain on him, but the ritual circle saved him from using more of his power. He didn’t need to sprout a new set of wings to do it, which was the main thing he was trying to avoid.

The attempt became frustrating after a while. He searched the endless expanses of black for who knows how long, only for his calls to be ignored. Perhaps his theory was wrong and this was a huge waste of time?

That was until something called back.

Finally the energy started to change from the western direction. It felt like a high pressure front was starting to roll in, the predecessor to some massive storm. Slowly his body began to tingle at the presence of another. Through his mind's eye it appeared like an even blacker mass was racing towards him through the dark abyss. It grew long spindly arms each time it needed to reach, pulling itself a little further until the limb was absorbed back into its oozing body. It practically lunged into his circle, a huge mouth with jagged teeth formed across its black surface. It dove for the pig head and consumed it greedily. Any mortal would run screaming in terror, or perhaps faint from the horrendous sights and sounds. Jaune just watched the entire sight with morbid curiosity. It was odd, seeing the familiar form in front of him, yet something felt different about it too. More put together and… coherent. It only took a minute for the pig to completely vanish inside the creature, the blob finally turned its full attention to Jaune.

“MASTER!” Jaune barely had time to brace himself when a strong energy assaulted his body. It wasn’t malicious though, the other clearly excited.

“Beelzebul, it’s good to see you.” Jaune nodded his head slightly at the pool of energy before him. The black festering blob was starting to morph, a large pair of insect eyes slowly forming. They glowed a light yellow color, looking up at him eagerly.

“I’m so happy you called for me! I’ve been waiting for so long!” He happily circled Jaune getting a good look at him. “Why do you appear so young Master? And I thought you preferred having black hair?” The angel just sighed in response.

“I am not exactly my old self. Changes needed to be made.” He answered. The demon just pondered his statement before probing his forehead with a stick like hand.

“Will you grow your horns back at least? It’s weird seeing you without them.” Jaune just growled and batted the black mass away, his eyes starting to glow an angry yellow. Beelzebul cowered back in response. “But if you don't like them anymore that’s fine! The blonde doesn’t look that bad either! It’s like a throwback to your early days!”

Jaune took a step back and inhaled deeply. He held his breath trying to collect all of his anger and frustration before slowly releasing it. Beelzebub…

No, the fallen angel known as Beelzebub died long ago. Beelzebul was what remained of his old friend, born from the gluttonous nature of human beings. He was never an easy creature to get along with. Even before losing his status as a fallen angel the thing was always an explosive source of energy, constantly grating on his every nerve. Still he couldn’t ask for a better ally back in Hell. They formed an odd kinship over their mutual hate for humanity, one that has held strong for centuries. Jaune just prayed his own changed attitude wouldn’t push the demon away.

“I apologize my friend, I didn’t realize you had come to this world as well.”

“It is alright Master, I managed all the same, as painful as it was to do.” Beelzebul said still checking if Jaune was angry. Thankfully he wasn’t.

“Do you mind telling me what you’ve been doing since coming here?” Jaune finally asked the dreaded question. Beelzebul clapped two spindly hands together before thinking of where to start.

“Well there was the Faunus War, That was a lot of fun! I even got a group of those half beast to worship me!” He leaned in to whisper as if this was some naughty secret. “They are still around to! Have you heard of the Black Cult?” Jaune’s eyes widened.

“Wait, worship you!? But I thought they worshiped the Grimm?”

Beelzebul moved back giggling lightly. “Well, they didn’t understand me as anything else but a Grimm. I even made a mask!” He spun around revealing an intricate white skull over what was presumably his face. The thing resembled a scorpion’s head plate, unlike the flies Beelzebul traditionally went with. “Yes! It’s wonderful! They sacrifice animals for me to devour, and I helped swing little aspects of the war in their favor! There are still some that worship me after all these decades! It’s quite thrilling.”

“I’m sure it is.” Jaune nodded. Suddenly the similarities between the rituals of the Black Cult and the dark pagan rituals associated with himself on Earth made a lot more sense. It wasn’t just coincidence these sacrificial rites and symbols carried over.

Wait a second.

Did he say decades!?

“How long have you been here anyway?”

“I’ve waited seventy-eight years for you Master.” The demon responded much to Jaune’s shock.

“Impossible! I’ve only been here for six years.”

“Really?! No wonder I couldn’t find you! But how could this be…” Beelzebul pondered his statement for a moment.

“Perhaps time isn’t relative between realms? We left Earth around the same time so that’s all I can think of.” Jaune thought about it. His theory certainly made sense, but that brought about several other possibilities. If the angels didn’t come around the same time, then how long had Uriel been here causing trouble in this realm? Has she been here longer then Beelzebul?

Wait…

If time didn’t matter between realms, then that means Michael could already be here! Not only that, he may have been screwing with the people here for who knows how long already. He didn’t want to deal with that prick again!

“Oh! I almost forgot to tell you about Mistress!” Beelzebul squealed snapping Jaune from his internal crisis. “I went searching for you in the Grimmlands a few decades ago, and instead of you I find Mistress all alone in her castle.” Jaune blinked. He remembered the Grimmlands from class. A desolate wasteland completely uninhabitable by humans. But if that’s the case how could a human live there? Beelzebul seemed to pick up in his confusion, cackling profusely.

He leaned in again to whisper in his ear. “She’s an immortal human.” Jaune was a bit surprised, though this wasn’t the first time he’s heard of it. Cain was turned immortal after committing the first murder. The question was how did that happen to one in this realm?

“Please, tell me more about her.” Jaune asked, though the demon seemed to get nervous.

“I can’t say Master. I’ve been forbidden from saying too much.”

“So you listen to her orders over mine?” Jaune raised an eyebrow.

“No no Master!” The demon pleaded. “It’s more complicated than that! Uriel will destroy me if I say anything. She already made Mistress suspicious of me.”

“Uriel? What does Uriel have to do with this immortal?”

“Please don’t make me say anything, I don’t want to die!” Beelzebul begged. He seemed to perk up though with a new idea. “I know Master! Ask the immortal at your location!”

Jaune paused staring at the demon intensely.

The other immortal.

There was more then one immortal in Remnant, and they were located close to him. But who?

The angel scratched his chin thoughtfully, going through all of the people he’s met so far. The only real suspect he had was Ozpin. That man had a strange looking soul certainly, and his dream space was a bit off too. It didn’t help that Jaune’s experience with immortal humans was so limited. There was only Cain, and it’s not like the Devil needed to follow him around constantly.

“Alright, I shall consult them instead.”

“Thank you Master! You’re too kind!” Beelzebul nuzzled his leg gratefully. “By the way Master, Do you have guests? I sense a presence near you.” Jaune tensed. No, he hadn’t noticed at first. Now that Beelzebul pointed it out he could faintly feel the warmth of multiple souls approaching him. There were at least eight human souls, and none of them were clean. “Do you want me to take care of them?!”

“No, it’s fine. I’ll let you know if assistance is needed. Wait here for now.” Jaune inhaled and focused on the real world, stepping through the abyss and into his own mind space again. He opened his eyes slowly, only for his face to slam hard against the floor. He glance up seeing eight rough looking men. They were all human, lower class and clearly criminals. Three of them were in their teens, standing behind the older thugs. They all had matching tattoos of a Beowolf mask, indicating they were part of the same gang. The largest had his boot on Jaune’s back with a disgusted sneer. He was looking at Jaun’s sigil with a mix of anger and curiosity.

“The shit is this punk up to?” One of the thugs growled. He definitely didn’t seem happy about his presence, and was currently approaching the blood circle. “Some kind of religious thing?” Jaune tried sitting up when the leader kicked him hard in his gut. He immediately grabbed his stomach and hacked as all the air was forcefully ejected from his lungs.

“You picked a bad spot for your damn worship.” Another one sneered. “What are you, an animal?” Jaune’s eyes narrowed only for the leader to kick him a second time.

“This is our turf, and no one enters and gets away with it.” One of the teen’s pulled out a pocket knife while another one grabbed a wooden board leaning against the wall. The leader pulled his shirt up a bit taking a gun holstered in his waistband, grabbing it by the muzzle. He tried pistol whipping the prone angel but Jaune was ready. The blonde quickly blocked with his forearm, only for several more men to rush him. He tried to stand when a bang reverberated through the room and his leg gave out from a tremendous force. The asshole had shot him, and if it weren’t for his aura the thing would have blown his shin apart. As it was it left a sore spot and a cracked bone that was definitely going to bruise by the morning.

The others didn’t waste any time in pouncing. Jaune managed to jump back to the leader’s surprise, grabbing a broken bottle and jabbing it into the closest thug’s gut. The man screeched and reeled back, giving Jaune a chance to knock him back into a few others. A loud crack reverberated through his head, aura surging through his skull at the sudden onslaught of stars in his vision. He blurily looked behind him seeing one of the thugs with a crowbar ready to strike again. Jaune managed to trip him up with one leg making the man topple right as the crowbar missed his face by a few inches. The angel leapt for the blood circle as a few more thugs stormed on top of it, his call illuminating to lines in an eerie red light. The men stopped and looked around them, suddenly realizing they were completely stuck in place.

Then it started, a bubbling black ooze began forming at the edges of the circle, making the men freak out though unable to do much. One of the teens on the outside whacked a pus ball with his board, only for the wood to be swallowed by a set of large teeth that formed from the black mess. A long spindly arm formed and pulled the kid in when he tried to run, lifting him into the air as the mouth grew larger.

“W-Wait! Please no-“ the boy’s pleas were cut short when the sharp teeth shot up around his body, swallowing the kid whole in one gulp and absorbing him seamlessly into the blobby form. Everyone started screaming, the able bodied men booking it through the door or broken window. Those trapped in the circle could only look on completely horrified as a set of yellow insect like eyes formed to stair hungrily at the three. That’s when Jaune interrupted using a language the thugs wouldn’t recognize.

“I think they learned their lesson. We’ll let the remaining ones live.” The demon seemed irritated by the idea but soon released his hold on the thugs. They didn’t move right away, and it wasn’t until Beelzebul let out a deafening roar that the remaining kids ran screaming, some puddles of presumably piss the only things left behind. Jaune looked up to Beelzebul satisfied with the outcome. “Nice assist. I’ll have to remember the whole eaten from below thing.” The demon seemed to shake with excitement at the compliment, reaching out to Jaune and grabbing his right wrist. Black tendrils squirmed their way under his sleeve, followed by an intense burning sensation in his forearm. He pulled his sleeve back once Beelzebul was finished, seeing the demon’s sigil burned deep into his flesh. It glistened with a familiar dark energy, a piece of the demon now residing within him.

Jaune looked up and nodded. “It’s later than I expected. I’ll contact you again if the need arises.”The monstrosity quickly dissipated leaving Jaune alone in a torn up room on the verge of collapsing. Everything became quiet again, the mechanical noises in the distance having stopped for the day while the orange rays of the setting sun shown through the broken window.

He tried standing, only for searing pain to lace through his temple and leg. Damn his slowed healing factor. Jaune flooded the areas with aura trying to alleviate the pain. It was slow. It was healing so God damn slowly!

Aggravated he pulled his hood back and checked his scroll, noticing nothing new from Pyrrha but instead text messages from Nora, Ren, and surprisingly Ruby. Jaune let out a long sigh bracing himself for the inevitable. He knew he would have to read these damn things sooner or later, and waiting for his body to heal was probably the best time. He got comfortable on the filthy ground and braced himself.

Jaune clicked on Ruby’s message first hoping to get the easy one out of the way. It wasn’t anything too surprising, mainly stating that his teammates seemed really down at breakfast and was asking if things were okay. He sent a quick ‘fine’ to her before moving onto Ren’s.

_‘Jaune, please respond to Pyrrha. She is very worried.’_

That was expected at least. Ren was probably furious underneath but keeping his composure. Jaune moved onto Nora’s next.

_‘Hey Jaune! Please come back soon! Ren and Pyrrha and me are getting worried. I know what happened this morning was probably an accident. I’m not mad if that’s why you haven’t come back. The dance is starting soon and we really want to see you there!!!’_

That made his eyes widen a bit. Nora wasn’t mad? That was a bit surprising. Nora seemed the most shaken out of everyone after the shared nightmare. She was rather emotional compared to the others. He doubted her words reflected to the other two.

The next on his list was Pyrrha, the one that sent over twenty messages. This could only be bad. With one last inhale he started reading.

_‘Hi Jaune. I noticed you weren’t in the room when we came back. Are you doing okay?’_

_‘Hey! So Ren, Nora and I were talking about this strange nightmare we all had last night. We all had the exact same dream. Did you have a nightmare last night too?’_

_‘Do your abilities include sharing dreams with other people? Not that I’m mad or anything! I’m just curious.”_

_‘The three of us are heading to the cafeteria now. We’ll see you at breakfast!’_

_‘We are all here waiting for you with team RWBY. Please come soon!’_

_‘Please text back soon.’_

_‘Did I do something wrong? I’m sorry if I said anything inappropriate.’_

_‘... Is this about the other weekend?’_

…

The text messages continued in much the same vane. No long paragraphs about why she was mad or that she wanted him gone. Just a lot of worried questions and apologetic comments. It all just served to confuse him more. Where was the anger? Why wasn’t Pyrrha upset?

Well, apparently she was upset, but not for the reason she should be! Jaune pushed his dirty hair back running his fingers through the knots and dried animal blood. Did they really care about him that much? They seemed to care about him as a friend but they clearly didn’t trust him. Unless he missed something? Some human cue that he failed to pick up on. Now that he thought about it that possibility seemed more and more likely. Jaune screwed up at some point and he didn’t know when or how.

“I made a horrible mistake.” Jaune breathed. He needed to get back to Beacon and he needed to get there now! It was seven thirty already and the dance started at eight!

He hurriedly got to his feet and rushed through the door and down the stairwell, ignoring the aches still radiating from his shin and head. They were getting better but still not fully healed. He worked through the pain though, rushing through back streaks and alleyways trying to get to the docks, only to be met with a completely empty landing pad.

“No no no NO NO!” He clutched his head realizing the bullhead docks closed early since it was a special event. Of course Jaune could fly, but he couldn’t hide his damned wings. Cutting them off and barging in was off the table, since he’d probably pass out and end up in the infirmary. Plus he was covered in guts and organs. He didn’t have time to clean up either. How could he get in there without being questioned for his appearance? He paced back and forth trying to think. He needed something that could fly to help him up. Something or… someone! Fumbling through his pocket Jaune managed to find the folded piece of paper he desperately needed. He typed the number into his scroll and nearly cheered when a familiar voice answered.

“Hey Raguel.” Jaune panted, looking to the school in the distance. He had to get there, even if drastic action was required. “Sorry to bother you so soon, but I really need your help.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is Chapter 13. I’m pretty happy with this one. Lucy gets to meet an old friend, Neptune is being held hostage by Yang. All and all a productive afternoon. 
> 
> Another thank you to Maldevinine from AO3 for beta reading. Also thanks to everyone that has left feedback so far. It is nice to know people feel about the story so far.


	14. Dance Dance Revelations

Pyrrha sat at her desk looking into her makeup mirror solemnly. She appeared as stressed and tired as she felt, and the thought of her teammates also being present in the room made it worse. Nora was currently looking in the bathroom mirror with Ren helping her secure that purple wig with bobby pins.

“Perfect!” Nora exclaimed making Pyrrha jump slightly. “How does it look P-money?” The champion glanced over to her teammate now posing in her pink strapless dress with that thing bouncing around her head.

“Ummm… I don’t think you’re required to wear that thing to the dance.” Pyrrha interjected.

“But the deal was to wear it all week!” Nora said matter of factly. “And the week isn’t over until midnight tonight.” Ren just looked to Pyrrha and shook his head. The champion decided to leave it at that. Besides, Nora’s dress actually matched well with the wig, and Ren had a purple tie ready to go with it. 

Pyrrha looked back down to her makeup mirror getting her powder and concealers ready. She needed to look as presentable as possible despite her own anxieties. It took her ten minutes to get everything blended in and the eyeshadow applied. Her reflection was now as pristine as ever, looking like the celebrity everyone expected her to be. It didn’t help her feel any better though. No one had asked her to the dance, Jaune had run off this morning without contacting them since, and she was nothing but a bundle of nerves and guilt. Pyrrha would rather have stayed in her dorm room all night. She would have preferred anything over the dance in all honesty, but of course that wasn’t an option.

“Are you ready to go?” Ren asked, snapping Pyrrha from her thoughts. She looked up to see the teen with his usual stoic expression, though there was something different about his eyes. He just looked exhausted at this point, and even Nora’s cheerful facade was showing some cracks. Pyrrha glanced at her scroll one more time waiting for a response, but as expected nothing was there. She nodded slightly and screwed the cap back onto her mascara bottle before stepping into the bathroom to slip her red gown on. She walked out a few minutes later in her full length dress and heels. 

“Looking good Pyrrha! You're so elegant tonight.” Nora smiled.

“I agree.” Ren nodded.

“Thank you both.” She said with a forced grin. There was only one thing that would make her feel more at ease sadly and he wasn’t even here right now. Then again, maybe his presence would make things worse? She had never known what it really meant to fail until recently. She was supposed to be the Invincible Girl after all. Despite always wishing people would see her as an actual human being, the feeling of coming short like everyone else wasn’t a good feeling in the slightest. It was all her mind could focus on making her thoughts a black hole of negativity. Her obvious worry automatically put a damper on the other two, leading to an awkward silence that nobody wanted to fill. That was until Nora stomped her foot and stepped forward.

“Alright guys! Let’s try to have a good time! Dances don’t happen everyday.” Nora said chipperly, hoping to lighten the mood. It did get a small grin from Pyrrha but not much else.

“The sooner we go the sooner we can leave.” Ren tried to reassure instead. “Jaune might be waiting for us there.”

“... Yes. You’re probably right.” Pyrrha sighed. “I’m sure team RWBY will also be worried if we wait any longer.”

“That’s the spirit.” Nora smiled. The three left their room together, noticing that the dormitories were deathly quiet. Everyone must have headed to the ballroom already, but that was fine with her. It meant they wouldn’t be stopped along the way. Still Pyrrha couldn’t help hanging her head at the one thought constantly playing through her mind.

If only she hadn’t failed Jaune, maybe he’d be by her side.

XxxxxxxxxX

The dark skies were relatively clear, except for the three humanoid figures soaring through it silhouetted against the shattered moon. Well, two of them were soaring, the other hanging by the arms of a girl dressed in red. 

“I can’t believe you’re such a moron!” Sariel shouted down to the blonde currently in her grasp.

“Yeah yeah, I’m an idiot. Gloat all you want!” Jaune shouted back. “Just drop me off at the edge of the cliff.” Suddenly Sariel’s smile turned wicked with a new idea as they approached the plateau. 

“If you say so.” Jaune just looked at her with a raised brow until the implication set in.

“Wait! That’s not-“ The angel released her hold letting Jaune plummet. He extended his arms out towards the cliff side though it was several feet out of reach. Thankfully he only fell a few dozen yards before Raguel grabbed him by the torso and shot straight up towards the stars. They were above the cliff side in under a second with Beacon Academy in clear view. 

“Honestly Sariel, That was completely unnecessary.” Raguel sighed disapprovingly at her fellow Angel. The latter just huffed. 

“Easy for you to say. I’d have let that asshole hit the ground before grabbing him. Maybe then he’ll remember not to be so stupid in the future.”

“Yeah, because smearing my brains all over the jagged cliffside would totally help with my memory.” Jaune deadpanned. They made for a more gently landing among a grove of trees well away from the main buildings. Raguel quickly removed the bag from her shoulder and handed it to him.

“You're lucky we had some spare suits for club employees.” Raguel grinned. “Otherwise you might have ended up with something from my closet.” Sariel laughed a bit at her statement but quickly coughed to cover her giggling. The blonde just rolled his eyes and focused back on the Archangel.

“I really appreciate all this.” Jaune bowed. “I can’t thank you both enough.”

“Let’s just say you owe us one.” The Archangel winked before turning to Sariel. “We should get going before we’re spotted. And we’ll do it a little less obviously this time.”

“Honestly I’m surprised we weren’t spotted on the way in.” Sariel flipped the hair from her face before stepping back. “I wish I could see how badly Lucifer screws this up too. I can only imagine the look on his face when everything goes south.”

“You’ll be fine.” Raguel said reassuringly placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. “Just don’t show up too late and don’t hide how you feel. I’ll be rooting for you.” She joined her partner and stretched out her white wings as a soft purple light engulfed her being. The two began morphing into smaller forms. By the time the light faded it was clear they had disguised themselves as doves. They turned back towards the city and took off, quickly disappearing into the distance. 

Jaune couldn’t help but feel jealous. Was he really the only one that had lost so much of his abilities?

‘You haven’t lost anything.’ A familiar voice hissed in his ear. ‘You just refuse to take that power back.’ Jaune swatted the snake until it vanished, letting out a frustrated growl. He honestly shouldn’t be thinking like that. The blonde had always dealt with bad odds and came out alright, and this would be no exception. 

He opened the bag and sifted through the contents, initially finding a bundle of green silky fabric. He dug through the thing realizing there were no pants or tux included. With slowly dawning horror he lifted up the fabric bundle watching it unfurl into a knee length strapless dress. His blood quickly began to boil realizing what the angels left him with.

“SARIEL!!!” Jaune growled out to the heavens. He thought he could hear the distant laughter of that smug bitch in the distance. 

Damn her!

He paced angrily trying to call Raguel back on his scroll only to get no answer. Right, they probably wouldn’t pick up while they were birds.

This was perfect.

This was just perfect! 

He debated between his options, seeing some strange armed guards in the distance between him and the dorms, then over to the ballroom in the opposite direction.

‘Yes, go ahead and hide away like the coward you are.’ The serpent reappeared on a tree branch nearby. ‘Then maybe you’ll finally leave this stupid quest behind.’

“No!” Jaune growled. He looked back down at the fabric in his grasp with new determination. He needed to get to his teammates as soon as possible. If that meant wearing a dress then he’d do what was necessary, that snake’s words be damned. He also wasn’t sure how the guards would react to a blood smeared teen that hadn’t been seen all day. It was probably safer to avoid detours. 

Quickly he pulled his jeans and shirt off, changing in the bushes. The dress fit oddly well, the length a bit too short for his liking though and too much of his scarred back was revealed. Jaune used his magic to disguise his scarring and wing slits though he didn’t know how long he could keep it up. He’d need to get to his teammates and quickly.

Jaune burst through the bushes while stuffing his soiled jeans and hoodie into the bag. He could hear the music thrumming from the ballroom already, and the grounds outside were completely vacant.

Excellent.

He quickly rushed to an emergency exit attached to the ballroom, only to find it locked tight. He tried one of the larger entrances as well before rushing to the courtyard. They were all locked! Who the hell locked all the entrances on a dance night?! He made his way towards the CCT entrance but stopped when more armed guards stepped into view. That was another option off his list and he was running out of doors. Scratching his head the blonde circled the ballroom at a distance looking for another way in. If he remembered correctly there should be a balcony right around… there! 

There was a second story balcony just as expected, rounded with flower pots of dangling vines along the railing. Several large trees with branches close to reaching the balcony surrounded it, and best of all he could see two familiar faces already. Ren and Pyrrha were outside! And if he could climb up there quickly maybe he’d get their attention. Without a second thought he began climbing.

XxxxxxxxxX

Ren stood near one of the tables waiting for Nora to return. She had run off to grab them both some punch a few minutes prior while he stood quietly admiring the decor. Ruby had waved to him from her hiding spot behind the punch bowl, but after nearly tripping on her heels she wasn’t eager to come over and talk. Weiss was also in view, currently seated at one of the tables with her date. Neptune was trying to act as suave as possible, though the black eye he currently sported wasn’t helping matters. He said it was caused by a training accident earlier in the day. That honestly didn’t stop Ren from having the sneaking suspicion Yang had something to do with it. Despite this feeling Neptune was quick to deny her involvement before changing the subject entirely. Regardless he was speaking to Weiss right now and both seemed to be having a good time. 

“I’m back!” Nora announced handing him a plastic cup of fruit punch. 

“Thank you Nora.” He grinned genuinely. “Are you enjoying the dance so far?”

“Of course I am! Team RWBY did a great with the set up! Did you see all of the streamers?”

“I was just admiring them.” Ren chuckled. Nora always knew how to lighten his mood. Even when upset herself she was very good at helping lift the spirits of others. If only her methods worked as well on Pyrrha as they did him. He looked towards the upper landing of the ballroom, seeing Pyrrha standing near the banister watching the crowd glumly. She seemed to get tired of it rather quickly, turning around towards the upstairs balcony. He watched her for several seconds not realizing how contemplative Nora had become.

“Maybe you should try talking to her alone.” Nora suggested much to Ren’s surprise. “I know the ‘important talk’ will be saved for when all four of us are together, but I don’t want Pyrrha to be miserable until then.” She looked up to Ren with a reassuring grin. “You’re always good at making me feel better.”

“I could say the same about you.” The teen replied. “Alright. I’ll see if she’d be willing to join the two of us.”

“Alright Renny! I know you can do it!” The bomber cheered motioning towards the staircase. Taking a deep calming breath Ren ascended the stairs seeing a mostly vacant landing. Their were a few couple hanging around hoping to get some alone time, but for the most part it was peaceful compared to the main floor. He looked around finally spotting a familiar red ponytail on the balcony. Pyrrha was off by herself, gazing at the shattered moon while leaning on the marble railing. She was tense, and Ren could easily tell how down she still was. He approached carefully, hoping to lean on the banister too before speaking.

“Jaune? Is that you?” Ren froze. Did Pyrrha honestly mistake him for their team leader? He didn’t respond though, seeing her trying to wipe her eyes without turning around. It was clear she was on the verge of crying though she wasn’t eager to show it. Pyrrha sighed upon realizing she wasn’t getting an answer. “You probably have a few choice words for me, and I understand why. I-I know why you ran this morning, and perhaps it’s better this way. I’m already a fraud.” She laughed without any humor behind it. “When the time came that you needed protection, I failed. I was literally sitting right next to you and I couldn’t block the bullet in time.” Her shoulders became stiff as she brought her hands to her face still refusing to turn around. Ren just stood there and listened, not willing to stop the flood gates that were clearly crumbling. “I’m supposed to be the Invincible Girl. Everyone expects me to do everything perfectly. I’m placed on a pedestal by others, a champion fighter and a role model to many. But if I can’t protect my own partner then what am I really? A failure? A joke?”

She paused briefly, most likely waiting for a response, and Ren couldn’t stay quiet any longer. “This isn’t a healthy mindset Pyrrha. How long have you been thinking this way?” Her entire frame stiffened as she whirled around, her cheeks flushed with absolute horror in her eyes.

“R-Ren?! Why didn’t you say anything?! I thought you were with Nora-“ She cut off when tears started welling. “I- I can’t believe you!” 

“Pyrrha!” Ren called but he couldn’t stop the girl from running back into the ballroom, accidentally pushing several people aside in her desperation to escape. Some of the students began looking at him sourly clearly lacking any context as to what transpired. He just stared after her with fresh frustration. At least he had a better idea of what’s been bothering Pyrrha, but it was not information intended for him to begin with. Honestly, the girl spills her heart out without even checking who had approached her, and now it was apparently Ren’s fault. What sort of logic was that? Sure he already felt guilty knowing he should have spoken up sooner. That didn’t excuse Pyrrha for only wanting to talk to the one person that wasn’t actually here for her.

“Pssst…Ren!” The ninja silently growled at that familiar voice, turning around and looking over the banister. Jaune was in a tree trying to reach for the railing. “Hey! Think you can give me a hand? The doors into the building are locked.” Ren could feel a fresh wave of frustration and had a few choice words for his team leader. He’d help the guy up, but only so Ren could give his supposed friend a piece of his mind. He leaned over the banister and grabbed Jaune’s hand, pulling him over, only for the blonde’s foot to catch on the railing and knock Ren on his back. What hit him first was a horrible stench of death. His whole body tensed and he tried holding his breath but the smell still lingered. The ninja opened his eyes and he realized Jaune was sprawled on top of him.

“Get. Off.” Ren growled. 

“Sorry about that!” Jaune scrambled off of him with an apologetic smile but Ren ignored it, swatting away the hand offering to help him up. 

“Jaune. We need to talk.” Ren stood up brushing the dirt off his pants. “This morning’s behavior was completely un… what are you wearing?“ He cut off finally getting a good look at his leader. Jaune smelled like he went rolling in a pile of roadkill, with a few splatters of dried blood on his arms and head. He was also wearing a light green dress with his sneakers and a bag hung over his shoulder. He looked up through matted bangs with a tired grin.

“Sorry to show up like this. It’s been quite a day.”

“... I can see that.” Ren finally stated after a moment’s pause. He could hear several dance attendees laughing at how ridiculous Jaune looked but the blonde didn’t seem concerned. “Anyway, about this morning-“

“Please Ren. This is something that needs to be said.” The ninja paused when the others expression became strained, and almost desperate. “I’m sorry.” Jaune bowed his head low much to Ren’s surprise. “What happened to the three of you last night was my fault, I shouldn’t have run off like that… You three all deserve my apologies and an explanation.” The ninja just blinked having a hard time believing what Jaune just said. He sucked in a heavy breath before continuing. “I-I’m not the greatest at gauging how you humans will respond to these things, and… I panicked. I thought you’d hate me after that.” He lowered his head even furthered trying to avoid Ren’s gaze. “I hope you can forgive me.”

There was a tense pause between the two, Ren having no idea how to respond. An apology was the last thing he had expected, much less when Jaune was wearing a dress looking like crap.

“... Did I do it right? I’m not really well versed in the act of human apologies.” Jaune asked nervously when Ren didn’t respond. He started to get more frantic when Ren’s expression didn’t change either. “I should’ve offered you a goat, shouldn’t I? I knew I’d forgotten something! If you can wait until tomorrow I’ll stop by the farming district-“ A firm hand on his shoulder shut the angel up immediately. 

“A goat will not be necessary.” Ren stated firmly. “Nora would want to keep it as a pet, and I’m not cleaning up after one.”

“A pet? But once a goat is offered… never mind.“ Jaune cut himself off before saying something else weird. He just looked down again as if waiting for Ren to pass judgment. In all honesty he was still angry. Part of him just wanted to walk away and give Jaune the cold shoulder. But that wouldn’t solve anything. He and Nora already spent a good part of the afternoon trying to figure out how they would fix this, and it would be foolish to turn Jaune down after he took such a big step in the right direction.

“... I’ll forgive you.” Ren sighed. “Only on two conditions though.” Jaune looked up with fresh hope. “You apologize to Nora and Pyrrha, and you will give us a real explanation after the dance. No more skirting around the questions.” The grin on Jaune’s face faltered at that last bit, but instead of protesting he shut his eyes and inhaled deeply.

“I did say you deserved one.” The blonde nodded. “I’ll do my best, but I can’t guarantee you’ll like the answers though.”

“The truth is rarely pretty.” Ren said after a moment’s pause. He knew all too well how ugly the world really was, and part of him really didn’t expect anything less from this whole situation. “I’ll accept that over being left in the dark.” Jaune sagged in relief at hearing it, smiling tightly.

“Thank you Ren. Truly.” He bowed his head again before glancing around questioningly, ignoring the laughing ball goers and rude comments at his expense. “Where’s Pyrrha? I thought I saw her with you when I approached the building.” Ren’s mouth tightened at her name, his own guilt bubbling in his gut.

“She… wanted to be by herself.” Ren said carefully not making eye contact. “She’s having a rough time.”

“What do you mean she’s having a rough time? What happened?” Jaune asked with a fresh wave of worry. 

“Well, between the anxiety brought on by witnessing your near death experience, her crushing insecurities about failing to protecting you, and not being asked by anyone to attend the dance on top of this morning’s fiasco.” Ren paused slightly enjoying the shocked look on Jaune’s face. The guy really was oblivious on all accounts, though Ren wasn’t much better at this point. “I’m assuming you didn’t message her back?”

Jaune looked like he was about to respond before face palming and cursing under his breath. “I was in such a rush after reading your messages I didn’t even think to.”

“Figures.” Ren sighed. “At least you’re not the only one that messed up tonight.” The blonde looked like he was ready to question him but a loud squeal shut him up.

“Jaune came back!” Nora cried as she barreled through party goers knocking them to the ground in her haste. She ran up smiling only to stop upon seeing Jaune’s full outfit. “What are you wearing?!” Nora cackled hard at his attire about ready to double over. “You look ridiculous! And- GROSS! ” She shrunk back upon getting a good whiff of him. “Why do you smell like rotten meat?!”

“It’s a long story.” Jaune sighed. “It’s not really that important right now anyway.” He bowed his head to her as he had Ren. “I need to apologize for this morning. I didn’t mean to harm you.”

“You’re already forgiven.” Nora said with a genuine smile. “I knew you wouldn’t hurt us on purpose, though you can still make up for it Stinky!” She straightened up her posture, the poofy wig bouncing a bit at her movement.

“You’re not much better.” He smiled cheekily. “Why’d you wear the wig?”

“The week isn’t over until midnight tonight! And a deal is a deal.” Nora huffed.

“So it is.” The blonde sighed looking off into the ballroom. Many of the students had made their way to the upper landing trying to see the spectacle that was his outfit. Most of them were either whispering amongst themselves or laughing at his expense, though that wasn’t his concern at the moment. Pyrrha didn’t have the necklace he gifted on her, which he supposed wasn’t surprising. It still made tracking her down a little harder. He glanced over crowd of staring teens without seeing his partner. Yang was currently among the laughing crowd of spectators. Blake was there too covering her face in second-hand embarrassment while Sun was both confused and amused by the whole thing. He did a quick scan of the souls in attendance, even locating Uriel and Azrael before finding Pyrrha’s soul in the women’s restroom. So the two Angels really weren’t planning anything tonight? If they were here it was unlikely, but that didn’t fix the Pyrrha problem. He looked to his teammates, expression becoming serious.

“I royal screwed up with Pyrrha, and I don’t think I can fix this on my own. Are you two willing to help?” Nora and Ren looked to each other contemplating if they should assist or not before giving each other a small nod.

“You got it fearless leader!” Nora gave a thumbs up while Ren nodded with a small grin. 

“But not until you take a shower.” Ren added.

“Is it that bad?” Jaune asked,

“Yes! Dear Oum it smells like you rolled through rotting guts.” Nora gagged. “What did you do?!”

“I… needed to search a bin of discarded animal parts since the butcher didn’t have what I needed.” He scratched the back of his head nervously, his fears only increasing at his teammates’ reactions. “You… said you wanted more honesty, right?” He asked the two carefully.

“... just go get cleaned up.” Ren sighed defeated. Jaune made to step through the crowd but Nora was quick to stop him.

“Where do you think you’re going?!” Nora asked accusingly.

“To the locker room?” Jaune partially questioned unsure of what she wanted.

“Not that way mister! Do you want everyone to die of your nasty smell?!” Nora shoved him to the balcony railing. “Ren will let you in near the locker room. Now go clean up!” She shoved him over the edge before Jaune could protest, the blonde landing hard on his stomach with a loud thud. Thank God for Aura he supposed, though that still hurt. “And make it fast! I’ll see if I can get Pyrrha!” The ginger bolted out of sight while Ren followed behind her. He could hear other dance attendees whispering from his spot on the ground much to his annoyance.

“You alright Vomit Boy?” Yang called down from her spot on the balcony.

“Fine.” Jaune answered with a weak thumbs up. God why did everything have to suck? He stood up as the magic masking his scars began dissipating. That was just perfect then. Jaune would need to find another fix for that too he supposed. First things first, he needed a shower and he needed one badly.

XxxxxxxxxX

“Come out Pyrrha. Pleeeeease!” Nora begged to the door of the far bathroom stall. 

“I’ll be out in a bit. Please go have fun.” Pyrrha tried begging that would get Nora to leave. Sadly it wasn’t working.

“But P-money! How can we have fun if you’re all alone here?” The bomber tried instead. Pyrrha shook her head while whipping a few more tears away with a piece of toilet paper. The champion just needed to get back to her dorm room but everyone would see she’d been crying, especially with her mascara running like this. She couldn’t believe she broke down like that,and in front of a teammate! It was embarrassing and pathetic, not becoming of a huntress in training like herself. She knew her emotions regarding Jaune and her guilty conscience had been building, she just never imagined it would explode at the dance. Even worse, she said all of that to REN! How did she mistake him for Jaune?!

“I’ll be fine. Please go and have fun.” Pyrrha begged. She could hear the whispers of several girls staking out the restroom after seeing her rush in. She couldn’t bear having a crowd now.

“But we have a surprise for you! It will be ruined if you stay here all night.” 

“I-I can’t.”

“Sure you can! Just a second…GET OUTTA HERE YOU VULTURES!” Nora started screaming at the spectating girls, sending them running for their lives. “See! It’s safe now, so please come out.” Pyrrha blew her nose with fresh toilet paper and sighed, unlatching the door and slowly pulling it open. Nora was standing there in her big purple wig, briefly looking concerned before masking it with a smile.

“It’s not so bad. Here!” Nora wetted a paper towel and sat Pyrrha down on one of the couches by a powdering station. The champion could see how badly her makeup was ruined, plus her eyes red and puffy with a pink nose. Gods she was a horrible crier. 

Nora leaned down and began gently wiping the ruined makeup from her cheeks and eyes. She had to do a couple of extra rounds since neither had makeup remover on them, but eventually the bomber nodded in satisfaction.

“All done! Take a look!” Pyrrha stood and walked over to the large mirror by the sink. The running mascara and eyeshadow were mostly gone except for a few faded trails that would need actual makeup remover to get off. Her face looked even pinker thanks to all the crying and rubbing. “You should try skipping all of this makeup some time. You look good all natural.” Nora grinned as if not noticing how bad it really was.

“I don’t know about that.” Pyrrha said. Going without makeup would be unprofessional of her, even if the idea wasn’t necessarily a bad one. “I’d look ridiculous.”

“No you wouldn’t! You’d look like Pyrrha.” The champion gave the other girl a confused look, but Nora just shrugged it off and continued. “So, are you ready to head out there again?” Nora asked offering her hand for Pyrrha to take.

“Honestly Nora, I’d much rather turn in for the night. I’m starting to get a headache anyway.”

“Please just stay for a few more minutes! I promise you’ll like the surprise we have for you. Pleasssssse?” Nora pouted. It was hard to ignore a face like that, and the champion wasn’t keen on letting any more of her teammates down so soon.

“.... Alright, but I won’t stay any longer than five minutes.”

“That the spirit!” Nora clapped happily. “Follow me! There’s no time to lose!” She gripped Pyrrha by the wrist and swiftly yanked her through the door. Pyrrha could barely keep up, just managing to catch herself as they came to an abrupt stop. It took her a moment to understand what had just happened, until she spotted a familiar pair of sneakers on the floor. She looked up at the figure in utter disbelief

“J-Jaune?!” Pyrrha stuttered bringing a hand to her mouth. Jaune stood there in a green dress with damp hair, as if he recently got out of the shower. His halo was in full view around neck, with an extra cloth of purple fabric tied around his chest in an attempt to hide his scars. The best part was the fabric wrap being tied in a bow on the front. 

Jaune wasn’t the only one dressed oddly though, Ren stood behind him with his tux gone and his purple tie now worn as a wacky headband. Nora rushed up to Jaune’s other side, her wig bouncing around completing the goofily dressed trio. 

Slowly her silence turned to giggling only to erupt into uproarious laughter. She was clutching her gut tightly about ready to double over.

It was too much.

It was all too much!

“Pyrrha! Are you alright?!” Jaune approached her hesitantly as fresh tears started falling down her cheeks.

“I-I’m fine!” Pyrrha breathed through her dying cackles. “It’s just… I can’t believe you wore a dress! And Ren, I’ve never seen him so ridiculous.” Ren looked off to the side blushing a bit, but Nora grabbed his hand reassuringly. Jaune just looked to Pyrrha with a slightly more confident grin.

“I wasn’t the only one that felt the need to apologize tonight.” Jaune shrugged motioning towards Ren. “It was a group effort.”

“None if you needed to do this.” She said looking at them all. She was so touched by this. It was wacky and strange but the gesture alone was so thoughtful. 

“I did make a promise, and an Arc never goes back on his word.” The blonde offered his hand out now sure her tears were from joy and not sadness. “Now do you plan on laughing at us all night, or do you want to dance?” Pyrrha kept one hand close to her chest while offering her other for Jaune to take.

“I would love to.” She smiled as the whole team headed to the dance floor. Nora made a motion to the DJ and the song quickly changed. It was an upbeat tune with a nice jazzy swing to it. Jaune took her right hand while placing the other around her waist. He proceeded to lead her in a swing dance, moving smoothly with her around the dance floor while leading her flawlessly through each step.

“Jaune! I had no idea you were a dancer!” Pyrrha laughed.

“Well these things tend to happen when you live with eight women for several years.” He sent her into a dip leaning her back with his hand supporting her body. The crowd cheered them on and she could hear Nora shouting encouragement too.

Her heart was so much lighter. She didn’t feel perfect. Her head still ached a bit from all her crying but she could ignore it for now. Pyrrha was in the arms of her crush and he didn’t seem angry with her. She was still nervous that he was going to turn on her, but right now she would just enjoy the moment.

“Thank you, all of you.” She smiled genuinely as she was pulled back from a twirl into his arms. “Thank you for making tonight amazing.”

XxxxxxxxxX

Cinder and Emerald stood near the wall watching the students dance around. Mainly they watched one group in particular, the Devil and his human pets to be precise. They looked like they were having a good time. That’s likely what Lucifer wanted them to feel and he seemed to succeed in his endeavor. Cinder almost felt sorry for those gullible humans, knowing how trusting a creature like him would ultimately turn out for the three mortals. Still she would let them have their fun, knowing their futures were becoming so much shorter with every day they supported him. 

Lucifer and his pets were not her main concern though, especially since the change in her plan led him off their immediate trail. Cinder wasn’t the one doing the infiltration anymore since Lucifer could track her down so easily. Instead she sent a less noticeable associate, and was eagerly awaiting news on how it went.

“May I have this dance?” Cinder looked over her shoulder and saw Mercury standing there with his hand offered up. Cinder took it with a smirk, placing a hand over his shoulder and stepping onto the dance floor as a slow song began playing. 

“So, did the trip go smoothly?” Cinder asked.

“Other then one unexpected guest, I had zero issues. Thankfully she’s none the wiser.” Mercury took Cinder’s other hand as they began swaying with the music like the students. She looked over and noticed that a familiar little reaper had made her way back to the ballroom, a bit flustered but clearly fine. She was barefoot currently, one of her heals broken after her presumable scuffle with Mercury.

“I’m sorry you had to do the heavy lifting. You know I would have preferred doing it myself.” 

“It’s fine by me. Though I am curious about your… former associate.” Mercury shrugged looking over at the supposed threat she’d warned him about multiple times. He was wearing a dress for crying out loud, and currently ballroom dancing with his partner. “I don’t see why he’s so dangerous. Do we really need to be worried?” Cinder didn’t answer right away, looking at the dancing idiot with narrowed eyes.

“Once upon a time, that creature was the most hated amongst his own kind. Still, he managed to convince one third of the population to join him in a war against their own brothers and sisters.” Mercury looked down at Cinder in disbelief, though the woman’s expression made it clear she was serious.

“He’s a cunning strategist and master manipulator. He can wear any mask he deems necessary for the situation. If he cannot take you out with raw strength he’ll use any number of other methods. Do not let him fool you.” Mercury looked over at his team again. The red headed girl Nora had switched off with Pyrrha and was currently leaping around Jaune with that stupid wig bouncing around. The blonde just had a dumb grin on his face trying to keep up with the short girl. It was a difficult concept to grasp. A moron like that managing to turn a whole population against each other. Maybe if he looked closer… 

Nope, he still looked like a loser.

“Ignore him for now. This was a successful night, and it puts us that much closer to… our final destination.” Mercury nodded in agreement as the song ended, the two separating and heading to sit at one of the tables. Several guards had burst into the ballroom by this point but they were at a complete loss as to whom had just infiltrated the CCT. They would remain clueless too, everything going according to plan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Special thanks to Maldevinine form AO3 from beta reading this fic. They’ve made some RWBY as well so you should check them out if you guys are interested.
> 
> It looks like the school dance was a success. Jaune and his team have made so progress regarding their communication issues. Uriel is also making a move, though she’s not going to underestimate our favourite idiot.
> 
> I’m not entirely sure when the next chapter will be out. I’ve gotten through all the chapters that I had parts written ahead of time for, so expect at least three weeks before another chapter is uploaded. 
> 
> Comments are always appreciated!


	15. A Long Days Journey Into Tomorrow

“That. Was. AWESOME!” Nora cheered as the group of four entered their quiet dorm room. Everyone else sluggishly walked in behind her. Ren practically passed out on the bed not even bothering to change into his sleep ware. Pyrrha went into the bathroom to shower while Jaune pulled some sweatpants on before ripping the damn dress off and throwing it on his desk chair. He took a moment to breath while Nora rambled on and on about how great the dance was. It never really occurred to him how exhausting these social events could be. Regardless Jaune was happy that Nora managed to have fun at least. 

“So, what did you think of your first dance?” Pyrrha asked Jaune as she exited the bathroom now changed into her nightgown. Nora jumped into the bathroom right after she finished with her pajamas in hand.

“It was… very loud.” Jaune shrugged laying down on his own bed. “I thought I would lose my hearing.” Pyrrha giggled in response. “But it was… enjoyable. What did you guys think?”

“Though it had a rough start.” Pyrrha mused as she sat down on her own bed. “I think the night ended wonderfully.”

“Wonderfully?! I’d say it was spectacular!” Nora announced as she hopped out of the bathroom. “Jaune wore a dress, we did a group dance, everyone apologized, and everything is fine again.”

“No, it isn’t.” Ren sighed finally sitting upright.

“What do you mean Renny? We’re a team again.” Nora tried though the teen just shook his head.

“For now maybe, but I imagine problems like this will arise again if we allow things to stay as they are.” Ren looked over to Jaune with a stern gaze. “You promised an explanation after the dance.” Jaune paused for a moment before letting out a long sigh.

“I did, didn’t I.” He mumbled. This was going to be hard. He tried to think of where to start. There was so much he could tell them, and none of it was pleasant. He thought back to when he had eavesdropped on them that morning.

“Do you three know what the word ‘Satan’ means?” He asked despite already knowing the answer. All three of his teammates immediately tensed, clearly taken off guard.

“N-no.” Pyrrha breathed. “We had actually spoken about this earlier, though none of us could find an answer.”

“That doesn’t surprise me at all, especially since you don’t seem to have an equivalent in this realm.” He closed his eyes trying to choose his words carefully. “The word Satan originates in the Hebrew language, one that doesn’t exist in Remnant. It translates to ‘adversary,’ or ‘one who resists.’ It was one of the titles I held back in my original realm.”

“You had titles?” Nora asked getting excited already. 

“Yeah, I was known as Satan, the Devil, Tempter, the Evil One…” Her smile quickly fell after thinking on his statement. 

“Wait, Evil One? But you’re not evil! And who said you were an adversary?” She questioned. Jaune paused then, his lips tightening into a thin line. This was the part he dreaded. Once he told them who knows what they’d do. Would they try asking Uriel for protection against a monster like him? Or would they try killing him in his sleep themselves?

“Jaune.” Ren said warningly starting to grow impatient.

“I’m sorry, it’s just…” Jaune paused, sitting up slowly and looking to his three teammates. “It’s… not easy reliving the past.” Everyone went quiet then. Nora and Ren seemed to come to a conclusion though, looking to each other knowingly. The dark haired boy inhaled deeply before speaking.

“Kuroyuri.” He said heavily.

“Excuse me?” Jaune asked rather surprised.

“Kuroyuri is the Village I was raised in. My mother, father and I lived peacefully in the secluded town.”

“I also lived in Kuroyuri for a while.” Nora added. “My parents were killed by Grimm when I was very young, and I was saved by some passing merchants that found me. They dropped me off in Kuroyuri where I had to scavenge for myself.” She said the last bit quietly, clearly pained by the vivid memories. Ren moved to sit with her and placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

“Things were okay until the Grimm attacked…” Ren continued. “My mother and father were killed along with the rest of my village. Nora and I found each other and managed to hide ourselves from the Grimm until morning. By then everyone else was dead...” There was a brief pause as they let the revelation sink in. Pyrrha was already at a loss.

“We’ve been inseparable ever since.” Nora added with a small grin. “It’s been hard sometimes, but we’ve always managed to pull through together. After a while we decided to come to Beacon. Now it’s not just the two of us anymore.” She gestured to both Jaune and Pyrrha before pointing in team RWBY’s direction.

“Nora…” Pyrrha whispered. She had her hand to mouth clearly shocked by the news, while Jaune just watched the two carefully.

“We both know how rough reliving one’s past can be.” Ren continued. “And if your past is a rough one, know that the two of us will accept that.”

Jaune silently watched the two for a few minutes while Pyrrha went in to hesitantly hug them both. It wasn’t difficult to believe when judging both of their souls. They indeed had a rough upbringing if the solid blotches of black were any indication, but it really didn’t compare to being the torturer of the damned. Still, sharing something that personal took bravery and dedication to their friendship. This was a gift of trust that he couldn’t ignore.

“I… think I see your point.” Jaune mumbled. “Before telling you anything though, I need to know you won’t try anything stupid with the information you’re given.” Ren and Nora both seemed confused by the request, but Pyrrha was immediately more understanding. She got to her feet and approached Jaune’s bed. Without a word the champion held her hand out to him. The blonde looked up only to see the seriousness in Pyrrha’s expression.

“I promise not to do anything foolish with what you say, and you swear to tell us the truth. That is the parameters of your deal, correct?” His eyes widened immediately. How did she know about making deals with angels? Was it the night he’d met with Uriel? 

“Well?” Pyrrha asked again.

“... You shouldn’t be making deals with Angels so lightly, especially with conditions as vague as those.” Jaune shook his head. “I don’t want to make a deal, I just need to know that you won’t be attacking any angels, or me, with the new knowledge I’m giving you. Can you give me your word?” Pyrrha retracted her hand a bit startled by his response, but ultimately nodded in agreement.

“Alright, I promise.”

“We promise too.” Nora added while Ren gave a curt nod. Jaune sat back and thought carefully on how to approach this next part.

“Back in my home realm there were many beings among the hierarchy of Heaven. Second from the bottom were the Archangels, including myself. There were eight Archangels in total, each of us responsible for something different. For instance, Uriel was the Angel of Repentance while I was the Adversey of Man.” They looked at him completely shocked.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Pyrrha questioned.

“Rather then assisting humans in the traditional sense, my job was to tempt humans with the prospect of sin to fulfill their desires. If they fell into sin it would be marked against their souls. Once a soul reached a certain level of sin it was considered a damned soul, at which point it would be sent under my care.” He rubbed the back of his head stiffly. “And by care I mean eternal punishment for their transgressions in life.”

“Wait, so you used to be the punisher of evil people?” Nora questioned trying to make sense of his explanation.

“In the most basic terms yes.” Jaune breathed. “Though it involved more than just that. I was responsible for making sure the temptations existed and personally ran the plane known as Hell.”

“But you were like the vigilante justice of your world?” 

“Not necessarily. I still worked under the parameters set by the Lord. Though, according to the people of Earth, I was the adversary of God himself.” Jaune laughed bitterly. “Honestly, any of the higher ranking celestials above me could have obliterated me in half a second, yet they thought I would be strong enough to rebel against my Lord.” Though he ultimately did rebel at some point, he just can’t remember it. “It’s not like I cared enough at the time to try correcting them though. They decided I was stripped of the Archangel title very early on, though I would ultimately lose it later.”

“But you said you were in service to this God of yours.” Pyrrha added. “Why did they think that?”

“Though I never stopped serving God, humans never understood that. At least, the good vs evil narrative was far easier for them to understand.”

“... how can a soul be tortured? Is that even possible?” Ren questioned after remaining quite for most of the conversation.

“It not that hard for a creature like me to manipulate souls. Technically I could reach through your chest and touch yours if I wanted.” His pink eyes narrowed a bit as he brought a hand to his chest slowly. “Harming them isn’t hard either. The three of you got a glimpse of it last night.“

“But all I saw was a monster in that nightmare.” Nora commented rather confused. “It was really cold and that horned monster was eating people.”

“Chewing actually.” Jaune said. “The worst punishment in Hell was to be eternally chewed between my teeth.” He looked away feeling guilty now. “You guys got to see the deepest part of Hell last night, the place I resided.”

“So… you were the monster?” Pyrrha asked horrified.

“I’m afraid I was.” Jaune sighed. “I tended to look a lot meaner in those days. It was better for invoking fear.” He waited for them to say something, anything to break the growing tension. They remained extremely quiet though, none of them willing to speak. Jaune took another breath hoping to add something positive, only for Nora to beat him to it.

“So… you used to be mean and cruel, right?”

“... that’s correct.” Jaune screwed his eyes shut waiting for judgment, not expecting the light tap on his nose. He opened his eyes slightly seeming Nora was now standing right in front of him.

“But you’re not mean or cruel anymore, right?” He nodded stiffly, seeing an understanding grin starting to form. “Then you’re not a bad Satan anymore. You’re our friend now and that’s what matters.” His shoulders went stiff and his eyes widened. 

There was no way he heard her correctly. Glancing up Jaune was greeted with an unexpected hug from the bomber. Slowly he brought his arm up and wrapped it around her back.

“I think a ‘good Devil’ would be the right grammar, though that’s an oxymoron too.” She pulled away and booped his forehead earning a small chuckle from him. He looked around her to see Pyrrha sitting on her bed looking out the window. Ren was seated on his own bed contemplating what he just heard.

“... that is a really rough past.” The ninja finally sighed. “But I promised I would accept it. Thank you for being honest with us.”

“Guys…” Jaune could feel tears starting to form. He rubbed his eyes trying to keep his emotions in check when Pyrrha finally spoke.

“Thank you for telling us. It’s just…. hard to imagine you as such a monster.” She didn’t make a move to stand up or approach, still clearly unsure how to feel.

“I hope you’ll never have to see me like that.” He responded. “I want to be done with that part of my existence honestly. It’s nice not despising humanity.” The other three looked to each other before awkwardly laughing, though he couldn’t figure out why.

“I think it’s best we get some sleep.” Pyrrha suggested. “We don’t want to be late for tomorrow’s mission.”

“Good point!” Nora leapt into her own be Burroughs herself under the covers. “Goodnight everyone!” 

The sentiment was shared before Ren turned the light off casting the room into darkness. Jaune paused moment before remembering one last thing.

“Hey, if you guys end up being caught in a shared dream like last nights, please get my attention before anything bad happens.” Everyone paused a moment before nodding.

“Okay Jaune.” Pyrrha responded. “I’ll keep that in mind.” Satisfied he laid on his back staring up at the ceiling deep in thought. They knew his secret now, and they took it well.

Really well actually. He was expecting to be stabbed or yelled at. Maybe even forced out of the room at the very least. Instead they accepted him for the fallen angel he was now and not the monster he used to be. It was like a huge weight had been removed from his chest. For the first time in weeks he felt like he could truely sleep peacefully.

XxxxxxxxxX

Pyrrha was surrounded by darkness. It was cold, and she swore an odd echoing was reverberating around her. A cold drop off water hit her hand and she jumped back. Why was it wet? Was she in a cave? She looked around slowly finally spotting the silhouette of a male figure. He was staring into the darkness completely stiff, large wings resting on his shoulders. The champion decided to try approaching, only to stop at the loud moan echoing off the walls. She tried covering her ears as the noise grew more intense, the floor starting to shake nearly sending her off balance. Pyrrha looked up seeing a single bright light getting a closer and closer to them, a snake-like pupil in the center as the thing roared. Desperately she tried warning the man to move but no sound left her throat. Everything slowed down as the monster quickly approached at breakneck speeds, colliding with the man in a huge explosion. 

In a flash she was thrown backwards with tons of metal and concrete. When she opened her eyes the landscape was a little more visible. Instead of darkness it looked more like the aftermath of a battle. Rubble and twisted metal was thrown about all over the place, along with a heavy fog of dust that hadn’t settled yet.

She looked closer into the dust seeing that kneeling figure, only she could see far more detail this time. It was Jaune.

“Jaune? Jaune! It’s me Pyrrha!” She tried rushing forward but was grabbed by the ankle. The champion glanced down seeing the husk of a women partially buried in rubble, the left side of her face was completely crushed with blood pooling around her torso. More hands and blood began moving towards her as the desperate cries for her help wrang louder and louder through her ears. 

“Jaune! We’re in your dream again!” She tried pulling her leg free only for another bloody hand to latch on even tighter.

“JAUNE!” She tried again but the blonde didn’t acknowledge her. He was currently stuck on his knees staring up at the monster from before. It was a huge metallic serpent currently wrapping its massive frame around him. The monster shone its single eye on the black winged angel like some sort of spotlight, rearing back ready to attack.

“Jaune please snap out of it!” She begged but her plea landed on deaf ears. Why wasn’t he listening to her?! He said to get his attention if this happened again, so why wasn’t he moving? She needed to try something else, but there wasn’t anything for her to throw. Desperately she glanced around seeing a mob of bloody bodies limping towards her. She couldn’t even fight or move, only able to stare on in horror as the ghastly things made to grab her.

She needed a plan.

Any plan!

There had to be something she hadn’t tried yet, she just needed to think harder…

That’s it!

“LUCIFER!” Pyrrha screamed desperately as the light was quickly blotted out by human bodies. She squeezed her eyes shut expecting to be mauled, only for comforting arms to wrap around her instead. The horrible cries and screaming was replaced by the sound of small waterfalls and birds chirping all around her. Pyrrha slowly opened her eyes only to see a wall of black feathers blocking her view. She blinked, realizing a set of muscular arms was currently pulling away from her body. 

“Are you alright Pyrrha?” A familiar voice asked carefully. She nodded stiffly, but it was pretty clear she wasn’t. “That was smart calling my actual name. I knew something was off when it came from you.”

“Y-yes, well… W-What was that?” She breathed still trying to calm herself.

“I’m sorry.” He sighed. “That was a vision of future events, not a real dream. That was the first time I’ve seen that one though.”

“Do you know what it meant?” She question both curious and horrified at the implications.

“At the moment, no.” He shook his head only to let out a small laugh. “Funny how these things can never be straight forward. It took me months to determine what my visions of Vale meant.”

“Visions of Vale…” Pyrrha whispered. His expression suddenly fell at her words, the scenery swiftly changing to a burning cityscape. She watched flashes of herself, Ren and Nora being brutally murdered, followed by a winged creature in the sky above the CCT Tower. He shook his head dispelling the horrible imagery.

“The reason I enrolled in Beacon to begin with.” The Angel stated. “Why don’t we have a seat? I think a rest would be good for both of us.” He gestured over to a patch of soft grass by the waters edge. They both took a seat, the red head finally able to appreciate the warm breeze and the colorful trees surrounding them. It was gorgeous with all sorts of birds and fauna that she’d never seen before. She gazed at the foreign flowers by her feet, the beautiful pink petals contrasting with the crystal clear water. It was like stepping into paradise.

“Where are we?” She questioned.

“The Garden of Eden. At least what I remember of it.” Jaune answered. “No human has entered since the first two people took a bite of the forbidden fruit and were banished.”

“What forbidden fruit?”

“Right, I guess I’ve never shared that story.” The scene transitioned to a different part of the forest. Pyrrha looked around only to shriek at seeing a naked man on full display currently walking through the woods with a walking stick in hand. All she noticed was his tan skin color and black hair before shutting her eyes. She covered her face hurriedly already as red as a tomato.

“Why is he naked?!” Pyrrha asked trying to look anywhere else.

“I’m showing you the story of Adam and Eve. The original humans didn’t wear clothing since they didn’t see nudity.” She just stared up at him incredulously. “It’s like when you look at a cat or dog. Your first thought isn’t about its lack of clothing.”

“How are you not bothered by this?” She demanded. He just gave her a cheeky grin.

“I’ve seen my fair share of nudity working in Hell. It’s not that big of a deal, though all three of you beg to differ.”

“Three of us?” She asked only seeing the two of them.

“I’m showing Ren and Nora too. You should honestly see their faces right now. It’s priceless.” He laughed again but quickly went silent at seeing her death glare. “Right, the story of the first humans from my realm. Basically God spent seven days creating all that exist. The sun, moon, earth, sea, animals, and plant life.” They both followed along behind the man, Pyrrha still trying to look anywhere else but his bare bottom.

“Did you help?” She cut in trying hard to distract her eyes.

“Well…” he looked to the sky rubbing the back of his head absently. “I did help create quite a few stars, but that’s not the focus.” He grabbed her shoulder and the two teleported ahead, now looking upon a nude woman working on a flower crown. “God created man on the seventh day, shortly creating woman right after for companionship. Humans were his favourite creation, giving them dominion over the garden as long as they didn’t eat the fruit of knowledge.” Pyrrha peaked through her fingers seeing a very long lizard staring at the other girl.

“What’s that thing?” She asked.

“One of the creatures jealous of humanities favor.” Jaune sighed. “It was also the only animal to take matters into its own hands.” The scene transitioned to the lizard speaking with the woman, pointing to a tree with strange fruit giving off an eerie glow to her. After some persuasion she took the fruit and ate it, later sharing the food with the man from earlier. Their expressions quickly turned from content to ashamed as they quickly hid their bodies.

“What just happened?” Pyrrha asked finally removing her hands from her eyes.

“The fruit gave them knowledge of good and evil. Though they had the free will to resist, they disobeyed God. In return, however, they were banished from the garden.” The scene changed to the two humans now wearing animal skin and leaving the lush green area for a harsh looking desert. They didn’t follow after the humans though, instead focusing on the lizard responsible. The creature was convulsing in agony as it’s legs shriveled and fell from its body. “Humans were not the only ones punished.” Jaune looked to the serpent sadly. “All snakes were then cursed above all other creatures, forced to slither on their stomachs wherever they traveled and eat dirt for all their days.” Pyrrha watched the creature with a small tinge of pity. It did do something horrible to those people, but she felt making all of its descendants suffer too wasn’t a fair punishment. The poor thing continued to writhe until a glowing figure appeared in front of it. The thing had large white wings, though any other features seemed to be hidden by the light it gave off.

“Who is that?” Pyrrha questioned as the figure reached its arm out towards the snake. The serpent tapped its head into his glowing palm clearly comforted by the gesture.

“That’s me.” Jaune smiled awkwardly. “I felt bad for the creature. I didn’t really think the punishment was fair, so I ended up taking snakes under my protection.” Pyrrha looked up to see a horned serpent with red scales briefly appear on Jaune’s shoulders only to disappear just as quickly. “Then again, that tended to give the poor things a bad reputation. Who would want to be associated with the Devil anyway?”

“As Nora said, you don’t seem like such a bad Devil to us.” Pyrrha commented.

“No, me being as I currently am is a big problem as far as my position goes.” Jaune sighed and looked away. “Though I’m a Fallen Angel now, so really it shouldn’t matter.” She looked off to the side realizing how uncomfortably he was. She decided to change the subject.

“Where are Ren and Nora?” She questioned. “This is a shared dream, right?”

“Yes and no.” Jaune said with a nervous chuckled. “I’m actually talking to Ren and Nora individually at the same time, so it’s more like I’m invading all of your dreams rather then sucking you into mine.”

“How are you doing that?” Pyrrha asked a bit confused by the idea. How could he talk to three people at once? It seemed absurd.

“I’m not sure, but it’s not intentional I swear!” He brought his hands up defensively. “I don’t know why it’s happening honestly. This is a first for me.” Pyrrha played with her hair trying to make sense of this. This was crazy. This whole situation was crazy. She was sharing a dream with her crush, just the two of them spending all of this time together. It was wonderful, but she felt it could be taken further.

“So, Jaune.” She said unable to stop the blush forming across her cheeks. Jaune looked at her curiously when she slowly interlocked her fingers with his. “Since its just the two of us… maybe we could take a walk?”

“You want to explore the garden more?” He questioned. “I mean, my memory of it isn’t the greatest. I’ll try to remember what I can though.”

“I wasn’t just thinking about exploring.” She tried instead. “I just wanted to spend time together. We don’t really get alone time in the real world…”

“Yeah, we can spend time together. That’s a simple request.” He smiled as if finally understanding. Pyrrha cursed herself inwardly for not being more straight forward.

The scenery transformed into a more open area. She glanced out at the horizon, realizing they were at the top of a large mountain with the entire garden spread out before them. The trees were massive, ancient in appearance. The forest looked very old and very healthy, almost like some sort of separate magical realm.

“It’s beautiful.” She breathed, unable to take her eyes off of the scene.

“It’s something you can't find in Vale that’s for-“ He cut off when she leaned her body against his, grasping his arm and pulling it close. His whole body stiffened but he didn’t pull away.

“Thank you for coming back.” She smiled. Jaune just stared at her unsure how to respond before letting out a long sigh.

“I won’t run off like that again.” He wrapped his own arm around her shoulders stiffly. “I promise.”

XxxxxxxxxX

Jaune awoke rather peacefully, noticing his other teammates were still fast asleep. He sighed a bit in relief, knowing he had not harmed his friends mistakenly again. The clock even said it was eight in the morning, a far longer rest then any of them got before. Perhaps it was due to exhaustion from the dance last night? He was sure that helped at least, though the fact they got his attention during that vision certainly helped. Quietly he took the chance to take a quick shower and change. It didn’t help that he still had no clue what the vision meant. He could try consulting Raguel and Sariel about it, but there was always the chance one of them would be directly involved in starting it. Could he afford to divulge that sort of information to them? He couldn’t really call the two allies despite the amount of help they offered the other day. There was always the chance they would turn on him, just trying to earn his trust so they could stab him in the back later. It was really hard to say at this point and he felt more time to observe would be necessary.

Changing into his uniform Jaune stepped out of the bathroom while rubbing a towel through his wet hair. The other three were starting to wake up now. Nobody seemed particularly upset or jumpy, so the blonde hoped that was a good sign at least.

“Are you three doing alright?” He questioned just to be sure.

“Yes, a lot better than yesterday morning.” Pyrrha answered with a small yawn.

“That was so cool.” Nora smiled stretching her arms. “Can we do that again?”

“Not right away preferably.” Ren sighed standing to make his way to the closet.

“Sorry. That’s not really something I have control over currently.” Jaune stated uncomfortably. “I’m still not sure why it’s happening.”

“There will be plenty of time to figure that out later. As long as there isn’t another incident like yesterday morning we should live.” Pyrrha added. “For now we have an assembly to prepare for.”

“I almost forgot about that!” Nora grabbed her uniform and rushed to the bathroom before anyone else could object, the water quickly turning on. 

Jaune decided to step outside while Pyrrha slipped off her nightgown. There wasn’t any need for him to stay so he might as well wait outside. The door to team RWBY’s dorm was slightly ajar, and he could hear Blake and Weiss talking in startled voices, along with odd yipping sounds. It reminded him of a dog honestly, but that couldn’t be right. There were no pets allowed in the dorms, which was a rule he was quick to learn before coming to Beacon.

Unable to hold his curiosity Jaune walked the few steps over and knocked lightly. Weiss was the one to answer, and before he could get a word out she swiftly slammed the door in his face.

“Who was it?” He could hear Yang’s muffled voice through the door, as well as growling noises.

“The thing living next door.” Weiss huffed with extra emphasis on ‘thing.’ 

“Jaune’s our friend Weiss! Why are you such a jerk to him now?!” Yang shouted.

“He’s a monster! He has big black wings that he hides somehow, not to mention taking a bullet to the brain and being fine a few hours after! You remember Blake’s face when she saw him that night. Something is very off and I’m not going to fall for whatever game he’s playing.”

“Guys, is he still waiting outside?” Blake’s voice whispered barely audible above the growling. The door quickly opened again with a familiar brawler standing across from him.

“Sorry about that.” Yang smiled apologetically. “We didn’t mean to- ZWEI!” A short dog bolted between her legs and latched onto Jaune’s ankle. Yang grabbed the dog and yanked hard, sending Jaune off balance and toppling to the ground.

“ZWEI NO!” Ruby grabbed onto Yang’s waist and also pulled until the the dog finally released. The reaper grabbed up the corgi and looked it dead in the eyes. “Jaune’s our friend! We don’t attack friends!” The blonde looked up off the floor seeing Weiss staring on in stunned silence while Blake was up on Yang’s bunk watching the shit show.

“Are you alright Jaune?” Yang offered her hand to help the Angel up. Jaune reached his own out to meet hers when the door behind him swung open. 

“What going on out here?!” Nora growled only for her eyes to soften at seeing the corgi. “You have a dog and didn’t tell me?!” In a flash the bomber was next to Ruby making baby talk to the puppy. The canine didn’t have any issues with her presence apparently, as it was already trying to lick her hand.

“What happened to your leg?” Pyrrha rushed out seeing how ripped up Jaunes uniform was. His aura protected from any damage to the skin, but the pants suffered a significant tear from the dog’s wrath.

“Just some dumb luck.” Jaune responded not wanting to get the dog in trouble. Hopefully he could mend that, though he’s never actually sewn before. Perhaps Ren would be able to help?

The corgi swiftly hopped down as Jaune finally stood, being sure to stand between him and Ruby. He growled maliciously until Jaune took a few steps back.

“Zwei, I said no!” She scooped up the angry canine right as Yang rushed in front of Jaune in case it attacked again. “I’m so sorry Jaune! He’s not normally like this.”

“It’s Okay Ruby.” Jaune sighed eyeing the corgi. “Animals and Faunus tend to do that around me. I’m sure he’s a good dog around humans.” He noticed Blake was shooting him a look for some reason, as if something he said was offensive. He didn’t really know why but didn’t want to pursue it.

“What were you knocking for anyway?” Yang asked.

“I thought I heard barking from your room so I came to investigate. I’m sorry for the trouble, it was a stupid move.”

“At least no real harm was done.” Weiss huffed. Both teams eyed her angrily until she noticed their death glares. “Whatever, I don’t need this.” She walked out of the room and down the hallway being sure to avoid eye contact with Jaune. Blake looked between Jaune and her own team before leaping off the bed and following suit behind Weiss. 

“I messed this up didn’t I…” Jaune groaned. Pyrrha just put a comforting hand on his shoulder.

“No! This was our fault.” Yang quickly added. “We’re really sorry about this. He usually loves people.”

“I guess the keyword is people.” Jaune mumbled as the dog started growling again. “I’ll get out of your hair. Sorry for intruding.” Jaune turned and walked off before either sister could say anything. He was followed up by several footsteps.

“Where are you going?!” Nora questioned as she blocked his path. It’s like she thought he would run or something. To be fair though he never gave a reason to make her think otherwise. Or his other teammates for that matter. Pyrrha and Ren were hiding it better but it seemed they were trying to block the hall behind him.

“To the assembly.” The Angel answered. “It starts in five minutes.” Nora looked between him and the other two hoping for guidance.

“He’s right.” Ren commented checking his scroll. “We should probably head straight there. The four started walking but neither Ren or Pyrrha made to walk by him.

“I promise I’m not leaving.” He sighed. “I’ll just stay away from team RWBY for the time being. At least while they have the dog.” Not to mention while Weiss and Blake were still hating him, but he wasn’t willing to voice that outwardly. “Is that acceptable?”

He glanced back to see Pyrrha trying to hide her reddening face. Apparently she thought her intentions were far less conspicuous than they really were.

“Y-yes. I think that’s a good idea.” She agreed before changing the subject. “Any idea what type of mission we should sign up for?” There was a brief pause before Ren answered.

“Actually, Nora and I would like to visit one of the smaller villages outside the kingdom if anything’s available.” Pyrrha looked to Jaune.

“I don’t have a problem with it.” He stated.

“It sounds like a wonderful idea.” Pyrrha smiled. The four walked the rest of the way to the auditorium in silence, standing in the back as Ozpin gave his speech.

XxxxxxxxxX

The four members of team JNPR stepped out of the auditorium with all the other students, hanging back while everyone else excitedly ran off to their first missions. They managed to get the mission Ren and Nora wanted. Not many groups had applied to be deputies in one of the smaller villages outside of Vale, then again not many missions had to wait until tomorrow morning to leave.

“Hey! There’s Ruby!” Nora shouted. Sure enough the reaper was standing near one of the Bullheads with a large pack on, the rest of her teammates already loading up. “We should wish her good luck, don’t you think?” Ren, Nora and Pyrrha all glanced at their team leader for the go ahead. After the incident earlier of course they were hesitant to approach. Jaune looked between Ruby and her preoccupied teammates. As long as it was just Ruby there shouldn’t be a problem. The dog was nowhere in sight either, which was another bonus in his book.

“Alright, a quick farewell wouldn’t hurt.” The four made their way over, Nora quickly catching Ruby’s attention. The little reaper turned around seeing the others and smiled.

“Hi guys! Are you-“ She cut off when her backpack started growling while she desperate attempted to shush it. Jaune took the hint quickly, giving her a strained smile and wave before taking a few steps back.

“You guys go ahead. I’ll just hang back here for now.”

“Are you sure?” Pyrrha asked.

“It’s fine. The companion in her backpack doesn’t like me much, so it’s best I don’t approach.”

The three went up to Ruby and began chatting about her team's mission while Jaune watched the other groups load their Bullheads. He easily spotted Uriel and Azrael at the opposite side of the landing docs. They were standing around staring at… something. He followed their gaze only for his eyes to widen. There was a fourth Angel and it wasn’t one he’d seen yet. This one was disguised as a black bird of some kind, either a raven or crow from what he could tell. Worst of all it was another Archangel.

“Raphael…” Jaune whispered under his breath. What was Raphael doing at Beacon? The obvious answer was to hunt down Lucifer, but the angel’s attention really wasn’t on him. Raphael seemed more keen on team RWBY.

“Jaune?” The blonde jolted seeing his teammates. Ruby’s Bullhead was starting to take off and the bird was quick to follow. He flew off without sparing any other angels a glance. “Is something wrong?” She questioned seeing the uncertainty on his face.

“I’m not sure yet.” He replied honestly. “Do you guys still have the necklaces I gave you?” The three nodded much to his relief. 

“Your not hiding anything right?” Nora asked suspiciously.

“I wish I were.” Jaune sighed. “There isn’t anything we can do about it anyway except wait for now.” He looked between his teammates forcing a smile. “What do you three want to do now? Seeing as we’re not leaving until tomorrow morning.” Nora pondered for a moment while Ren looked at him suspiciously. He didn’t stop until Pyrrha finally spoke up.

“We could spend the day in Vale.” She suggested. “Maybe do some shopping? See the sights? My treat.”

“It’s not a bad idea.” Jaune mused. “I need to return that dress anyway.” And ask the two if they knew anything about Raphael. If Raguel and Sariel were privy to his recent activities that would definitely be beneficial. Now his only concern was how they’d react to meeting his human friends.

“That sounds awesome!” Nora cheered. “We can get Jaune some real pajamas!” 

“What’s wrong with what I have?” Jaune questioned. “They keep my wings from growing back.”

“Onesies are not a normal thing for boys in their late teens.” The bomber deadpanned. 

“But the Arc sisters picked it out. They said I’d blend right in.”

“I think they were messing with you.” Ren added.

“Messing with me? Do you care to elaborate Ren?” Jaune raised a brow at him. Ren just looked off to the side acting as if he hadn’t made a snide remark. 

“How does a onsie keep your wings from sprouting anyway?” Nora asked as they started walking towards the dorms. 

“Fleece is irritating on my scars.” He shrugged.

“We’ll find you something made with fleece then!” Nora huffed. Ren and Pyrrha both laughed at the two as they continued bickering, giving eachother a knowing look. The four fell back into the charade of normalcy, though all of them were on edge to some degree.

“It sounds like a plan.” Pyrrha smiled tightly. “Let’s get going.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to Maldevinine for beta reading this chapter.
> 
> My chapter length has doubled since starting this story. It takes a bit longer now to get the chapters finished, but now there is more content per chapter so hopefully that makes up for it.
> 
> Feedback is always appreciated.


	16. Let the Good Times Roll

“Are you sure we should start with a place so… active?” Jaune asked while adjusting his duffle bag. He could see a lot of activity inside the building through the large storefront windows, and he was feeling more and more uncertain with each passing second. The dance was one thing, but this place seemed far louder and much more chaotic in the ways he didn’t care for. 

“Of course I am!” Nora told him matter of factly. She turned to him showing off her pink cropped top jacket and jean shorts, her ‘casual wear’ as she called it. Technically they were all in casual clothing at the moment. Pyrrha was wearing a cream cardigan with an olive scarf that contrasted with her hair, while Ren was in a dark green sweater vest. The blonde was wearing a plain t-shirt and jeans as per the instruction of the girls. They had plans that he still wasn't privy to. “You guys said I could pick the first stop, and this is where I want to go. Don’t worry though!” She hopped excitedly. “This is your first arcade so I’ll show you everything you need to know! Like a big sister!” She smiled and her eyes instantly lit up at the idea, though he could only groan. As if he needed more ‘big sisters.’ Still, he was doing this to make his teammates happy. The blonde had caused them enough trouble and heartache recently, the least he could do was go along with their request. Jaune looked back to Pyrrha, only to see her giving a reassuring smile.

“Nora said she has this all planned out.” The champion stated.

“That’s not really reassuring…” Jaune sighed only to notice Ren trying to hide a small smirk. Before he could say anything about it Nora decided she was done waiting.

“Let’s break some legs guys!” The bomber announced bursting through the door. The rest of her team followed, their leader looking around with both awe and confusion.

“This is something else.” Jaune commented. It was loaded with rows and rows of machines, a majority of which were currently in use by numerous kids and teens. There were goofy noises and flashing lights all over the place, and he could barely take three steps without bumping into someone.

“This is the arcade Jaune, one of the funnest places in Vale!” Nora laughed. “I have so many games to show you! We’ll have a blast!” She grabbed his hand and yanked him through the crowd leaving both Pyrrha and Ren in the dust.

“What about the others?” Jaune glanced back already losing them in the crowd.

“They’ll be fine.” Nora waved him off. “Ren likes to play that Dance Step game the whole time, and he can teach Pyrrha.”

“... If you’re sure.”

“Of course I am, now let’s get started!” She dragged him to a big machine with little plastic guns attached to wires in front of a large screen. She slipped a coin in the machine and picked the red colored weapon off its stand. She shoved the blue one in his hands and the screen started showing some low pixel Grimm running rampant through a fake city. What he assumed were people started running in terror as a countdown started. Jaune fumbled with the plastic toy trying to figure out how to hold it.

“Don’t just stand there! Start shooting!” 

“I’ve never held a gun before.” Jaune defended while Nora started wiping the floor with the digital Grimm charging them. 

“Just do what I do and you’ll be fine!” Jaune watched how she handled the toy gun, copying her hand positions and aiming at the screen. He pulled the trigger just like she did, the gun itself letting off a laser noise while the low poly Beowolves in front of him collapsed.

“I shot one. What now?” He looked to his trigger happy friend for guidance.

“Don’t stop shooting dummy! The horde is coming!” He fumbled with the thing starting to fire off randomly, some of the Grimm falling while others got past his defenses and seemed to do damage. They continued on for what felt like forever until his side of the screen started flashing ‘GAME OVER.’ Jaune stood back and just watched Nora as her score kept climbing higher and higher.

“NO!” Nora cried when she finally got overwhelmed. A fresh screen with a list of player names and numbers quickly took its place, the one in tenth place currently flashing. “I was so close!” 

“Close to what exactly?” Jaune questioned. 

“Beating my high score.” She pointed to the ninth place position which did indeed say ‘NORA’ in all caps. The bomber sighed as a roll of paper started printing from the machine. She ripped it off before shoving it in her pocket and turning to a new game. “That’s alright! I still have plenty more to show you!” She grabbed his arm again and dragged him through the crowd, the blonde accidentally bumping into several people along the way. He tried waving at them with an apologetic smile but was lost far too quickly in the crowd of people.

Good Lord, what did he agree to?

XxxxxxxxxX

“BULLSEYE!” Nora cheered as the machine began flashing for the tenth time in a row. Jaune watched the humongous thing start to print out more pieces of paper. They were called ‘tickets’ according to Nora, and the goal was to collect them by winning at various games. “Wanna give it a try?” The bomber asked stepping to the side.

“You sure? I’ll probably mess up your winning streak.” Jaune said looking between her and the Skee-ball game.

“”Nonsense! The goal is to have fun, now go up there and have fun!” She slipped another coin in the machine before handing him a hard white ball and pushing him forward. He looked between the ball and the target rings. Jaune just needed to copy Nora. He could do this. Pulling the ball back just like the redhead Jaune rolled it up the ramp watching it go. Apparently he didn’t throw hard enough as it came rolling right back.

“You almost had it! Just put a little more ‘umph’ behind the next one.” She slammed one fist into her other hand for emphasis.

“Okay, if you say so.” Jaune turned back to the ramp, a familiar serpent resting on the velvet top staring at him angrily.

‘You’re wasting time.’ The thing hissed. ‘Stop with these childish games!’ Jaune just growled. Raguel and Sariel said they couldn’t meet him for a few hours at least, so there really wasn’t any harm with letting his human friends have fun.

‘Until they all die horribly. Is that what you want to happen?’

He grimaced. The blonde wouldn’t let that happen. This was supposed to be a nice day for his teammates, one where he wasn’t constantly stressing them out. If that meant spending time in this loud obnoxious place then so be it.

‘The Angels are gathering and you’re doing nothing! Everyone will die because of YOUR stupidity.’ Jaune threw the ball hard, hitting the serpent directly making it burst out of existence. The ball ricocheted off the ramp, bouncing into the outermost ring and rolling through a hidden hole.

“Alright Jaune!” Nora clapped. “Now you have four more balls to throw.” He nodded, quietly taking the balls and rolling them up the ramp. By the time he was done a total of five tickets came out of the machine.

“Did I do okay?” He asked her taking the roll. She looked at the tiny thing of tickets compared to the hundreds already in her hands.

“That… was great!” She smiled. “Look Pyrrha, our fearless leader won at something!” The redhead in question turned away from the dart booth she was currently dominating. They had finally made it around the entire arcade and were now caught up to Pyrrha and Ren by that dancing game.

“Are you having a good time?” She asked him with a kind smile. “This is your first arcade, isn’t it?” 

“Yeah.” He answered when a couple bumped into him as they walked past without apologizing. “It’s nice, but also loud, and… crowded.” The two girls looked to each other worriedly. “But that’s fine!” Jaune corrected realizing he was stressing them out. “What about you two? How do you feel?”

“”I’m having fun, and I think Ren is too.” She pointed over to that dancing machine where Ren was currently doing all sorts of trick moves. He even had a small crowd watching him at this point.

“We’re about ready for the best part anyway.” Nora spun him to face the back end of the arcade with a side room attached. “Now we can exchange all these tickets for prizes!”

“Is that why you’ve been holding onto them?” Jaune asked while the girls led him in the right direction.

“Sure is! They have all sorts of awesome prizes. You can get something with your tickets too.” Nora and Pyrrha proceeded to enter this side room, the entirety filled with all sorts of weird things. On the lower shelves there was a variety of candy and stuffed animals, while the shelves above had bigger items like a child sized bike and stereo.

Nora immediately ran straight for the stuffed animals, while Jaune decided to spend more time with the little trinkets. He noticed a lot of different candies Ruby would enjoy, but he himself didn't care much for anything edible. He moved along the short isle skimming over the jewelry to find some buttons and pins. There were a surprisingly large number of options. Some had short puns and hearts on them while others were shaped like different objects. His eyes were quickly drawn to a red maple leaf pin. Looking at it he was oddly reminded of one of his teammates, so he felt that meant he should take it. Jaune followed Nora’s lead as she purchased several stuffed animals with her tickets. He exchanged his own tickets for the pin, stepping out with Nora as Pyrrha tailed behind after her own purchase.

“Come on Ren, we’re leaving!” Nora called to her partner. Ren hopped off the dance machine much to his audiences’ disappointment, though the ninja wasn’t concerned. He was already taking a few stuffed animals from Nora to assist with carrying them.

“Did you find something you like?” Pyrrha asked him as they exited the arcade.

“I got this thing.” He held up the pin shaped like a red maple leaf.

“That’s such a cute button Jaune.” Pyrrha smiled. He was surprised to see that she liked the little thing at least.

“If that’s the case you can have it. Here.” He handed her the button though the champion clearly hadn’t expected it. She looked flustered for a moment, though Jaune couldn’t understand why.

“A-are you sure? You got it with your tickets.” Pyrrha asked. 

“It kind of reminds me of you in a weird way. I thought you would like it more.” Jaune shrugged. Pyrrha took the thing while trying to hide an odd blush. She pinned it to her scarf, straightening the thing out before pulling something from her purse. 

“Thank you very much Jaune. I… also got something that I thought you’d like, though I wasn't sure when to give it to you.” She pulled out a pin shaped like a five point star and handed it to him. He looked at the golden pin and couldn’t help but grin.

“The morning star.” He said to himself.

“What was that?” Pyrrha asked.

“Nothing.” Jaune shook his head. “I like it a lot. Thank you Pyrrha.” He proceeded to hook it on his jeans near the pocket. She smiled at his actions, only to jump back when Nora entered the picture. 

“Pyrrha gets to pick what we do next! What were you thinking?”

“Well, I do need to get some shopping done. If you guys want anything I’ll pay for it.”

“We can pay for our own things, thank you.” Ren added.

“I’m serious though. I have far too much money from my sponsorships and I’ve never had a reason to spend much of it.” She looked to the side sheepishly. “Consider it an early birthday gift from me?” Pyrrha tried hoping they’d accept.

“How much did you plan on spending anyway?” Nora asked.

“Well, my budget today is four hundred lien.” She said. The number didn’t mean much to Jaune, but his other teammates were practically left speechless.

“F-four hundred for a day trip! How much money do you have?!” Nora gasped.

“Much less than Weiss, but plenty more then I need.” Pyrrha finished.

“You’re sure about this?” Nora questioned a second time still a little uncomfortable.

“Of course.” Pyrrha smiled. “I know you and Ren both have things you need to get, so please use what you need.”

“Welp, I won’t look a gift horse in the mouth!” Nora rushed forward throwing all guilt out the window. “Come on guys! We have stuff to buy!” She ran off with Pyrrha following close behind. Jaune looked between the receding figures and Ren rather confused.

“Did I miss something?” Jaune asked him. Ren shook his head.

“Basically, we’re about to enter the most difficult part of any trip to town.” Jaune looked at him with a raised brow still not understanding. Ren just sighed and began walking. “Come on, the only way to understand is to find out for yourself.” The blonde looked after his friend before following, still trying to understand his point. The girls were just going to a couple of stores, right?

It couldn’t be that bad.

XxxxxxxxxX

“I think I understand your point now.” Jaune groaned taking a heavy seat on a bench in the shoe department.

“I told you so.” Ren responded setting his load down before joining the blonde in resting. Jaune had no clue how many stores they’d visited. He lost count at some point between the fifth storefront and getting dragged into a shopping mall. It had been an interesting trip so far, and by interesting he meant boring. Besides the one visit to the Dust shop and a few weapon stores, the grand majority of places had been dedicated to clothing. He didn’t know why humans decided clothes had to be so diverse. They couldn’t just throw on a sheet and veil like the humans he remembered. Instead it had to be a big deal with hundreds of stores in Vale alone dedicate to fabrics.

At some point the guys turned into pack mules for the two girls as well. Between the Dust, arcade prizes and clothing the ladies had purchased it was getting to be a lot. They finally had time to sit though, and both boys were quick to take advantage of it. Jaune sat on a bench with Ren as Nora and Pyrrha tried on shoes. Apparently there was a big sale and there was no way the girls would pass up on sixty percent off. The blonde had to say he preferred the quiet atmosphere the clothing store provided compared to the crowded mall, even if it smelled like cologne with irritating music playing over the intercom. He checked his phone deciding to text Raguel his current location. If he was lucky the other angels might help him get out of this.

“What do you think Ren?” Nora asked showing off some pink wedged sneakers she tried on.

“They look both good and functional.” Ren nodded. Nora quickly looked to Jaune for a second opinion. 

“As long as you can walk in them.” Jaune stated.

“I think they look great.” Pyrrha added stepping out wearing golden heeled sandals. Nora raised her eyebrows and whistled.

“Looking good P-money.” She grinned.

“I agree. You look very elegant in them.” Ren added. Pyrrha looked to Jaune for his opinion too.

“I like them.” Jaune smiled tightly hoping that would make her decide sooner.

“Really?” Her demeanor instantly shifted at his words for some reason, like his opinions on clothing really meant something.

“Why do you want my opinion so badly anyway? I’ve only known about your modern clothing for six years. I really don’t know what I’m talking about.” Pyrrha just put her hands together and looked off to the side with an odd blush. 

“You’re looking far more stylish now yourself though. This is a great learning experience.” Nora motioned to the rust colored jacket Pyrrha had insisted on buying him. That was their fault honestly, not his purchase. Still, he had to admit it was very comfortable and he liked the fur around the collar. Nora had done some shopping for Ren too, picking out a few sweaters and undershirts. The ninja never complained, though he was clearly out of his element. Jaune honestly felt like one of those dress up dolls the Arc sisters liked playing with when they were children, and he was pretty sure Ren felt the same.

“Doesn’t mean I know anything about it.” Jaune responded.

“Just use this opportunity to learn. You can’t go around wearing hoodies and onesies your whole life. Are you planning on wearing onesies in your forties?! A forty year old man in one of those would be so creepy.” Nora huffed. 

“Technically I’m well over five thousand years old, and I haven’t been called creepy yet.” Nora just groaned in annoyance before moving to try on a new pair of shoes.

“Are you sure you don’t want to get any shoes? There are plenty of men’s footwear on sale.” Pyrrha asked for the fifth time. 

“Seriously Pyrrha, I’m good.”

“Maybe you should, I think I found something that will match your ‘style choice’ perfectly.” Nora said holding up a pair of sparkly stiletto heels.

“Nice try, but after Ren and that pink sweater thing he pulled I’m not falling for your tricks.”

“Only a real man can pull off pink.” Ren snickered.

“With that extra fluffy collar and the fact you admitted it was from the women's section, I think not.” Jaune huffed.

“But you had to put it on to figure it out. If that proves my point I don't know what does.” Nora crossed her arms and gave him a triumphant smirk. 

Jaune just rolled his eyes and looked back to Pyrrha. “Don’t you think we’ve spent enough money today?”

“Maybe we should stop soon.” Ren added getting hopeful. “I think we have enough to last a while.” Pyrrha pondered his statement finally seeming to catch on to their overall feelings on the matter.

“I… suppose we may have gone a bit overboard.”

“A bit?” Jaune lifted up six different bags that he’d been carrying. Pyrrha just laughed a bit awkwardly before something caught her attention. Jaune’s focus shifted to the shop entrance. The Angels had finally arrived. 

Thank God.

“What’s going on?” Pyrrha grabbed for the protective necklace Jaune gave her hidden under her scarf. Ren and Nora reached for their own too, realizing the odd electrical sensation they were giving off.

“Remember the evening I gave those to you. I explained that you just needed to listen.” Jaune watched the two women approaching while his teammates were preoccupied with what he’d stated. Ren seemed to catch on the quickest.

“Wait. So those two are-“

“Sisters to this idiot, yes.” Sariel, or Miltia as she preferred in public, stated rather rudely. The other girl placed a hand on her hip grinning cheekily. 

“We’ve known ‘Jaune’ for a long time. We’ll put it that way.” Raguel, or Melanie, added.

“Guys, this is Sar- I mean Miltia and Melanie.” Jaune motioned to the two newcomers in flashy dresses.

“Nice to meet you!” The bomber interjected happily. “I’m Nora, and this is Ren and Pyrrha!” She pointed to her other two teammates respectively. “We didn’t know Jaune had family staying in Vale.” The three looked to their team leader with an air of annoyance.

“It depends on how you would define a family really.” Sariel said.

“We’re certainly not family in the human sense that’s for sure.” Raguel added.

“They are my fellow Angels. That’s what she meant by sisters.” Jaune sighed. The three humans started to tense up remembering how dangerous Uriel was, though the Angel in white simply giggled at their hesitance. 

“Relax.” Raguel said. “Out of all the Angles on Remnant currently, we’re the least of your worries.”

“I really don’t like the way you said that.” Ren responded. “I also fear Jaune neglected to tell us about you two.” He glanced at Jaune with narrowed eyes though the blonde could only smile apologetically. Honestly he’d been too caught up in making amends with his teammates that he kind of forgot. Sariel just ignored them both, approaching Ren with a sharp gaze eyeing him up carefully.

“I didn’t think your humans would be this cute ‘Jaune.’ What could they possibly see in you?” Sariel snickered. 

“Hey! Don’t insult our fearless leader like that!” Nora growled. “What kind of ‘sisters’ are you?”

“The somewhat decent kind.” Jaune responded much to Nora’s surprise. “Trust me, these guys are saints compared to some of the others.”

“You really shouldn’t speak about your fellow Angels like that.” Raguel added.

“Well maybe if they weren’t douche bags to me I wouldn’t.” Jaune rubbed his face a bit exasperated. “I’m giving you a compliment by the way, in case you hadn’t noticed.” Sariel just scoffed.

“Ohhh my! A compliment from Satan himself. I’m so touched!” Sariel said voice dripping with sarcasm.

“Miltia, why don’t you converse with his human friends for a little while so Jaune and I can have a word.” Sariel seemed annoyed at first before her face broke out in a wicked grin.

“Sure thing boss, we’ll have a fabulous chat.” Jaune really didn’t like the way she said that, but he decided to ignore her for now. He had business to attend to.

“I think if it’s so important we should hear it to.” Ren interjected before they could leave.

“Look.” Jaune stepped forward. “I know you’ll want to know what’s up, but I’m not saying anything when I’m this lost myself. If this meeting gives me a sense of directing I’ll share it with you, so please stay patient.” Ren looked at him clearly annoyed but both girls stepped forward in his defense.

“Alright Jaune.” Pyrrha answered. “I trust you. Please keep your promise.” Jaune nodded and stepped to the side with Raguel. Sariel was sure to take his place with his teammates while the two found a quieter place in the mall away from security cameras. 

“So I saw Raphael hanging around Beacon this morning.” Jaune sighed. “He didn’t even approach me nor show any interest in the slightest. His focus was solely on team RWBY.”

“Team RWBY?” Raguel questioned.

“A team of students from Beacon. I think one of their members likes frequenting clubs in Vale. Has wild blonde hair and a curvy figure.”

“Oh, I know exactly who you’re referring to now.” The Archangel said with an air of annoyance. “That damn brat wrecked my place of work a few months back.”

“What’s this? The great Angel Of Justice couldn’t handle a mere human?” Jaune said cheekily.

“If I wasn’t trying to keep a low profile, I certainly would have kicked her into submission.” Raguel answered. “We’re getting off topic at the moment. Though I don’t know why Raphael is following your friends, Sariel and I did have a chat with him after dropping you off.” Jaune’s eyes widened in shock. He saw Raphael that morning but certainly not during the dance.

“He was there?”

“He kept his distance for a while, trying to stay out if your radar I’m assuming. He approached us after landing back in Vale.” Raguel stated with a blank expression. “Raphael was concerned about our recent… interactions with you. He said if we keep trying to be friendly the two of us will suffer.”

“Do you believe him?” Jaune asked watching her expression carefully. The Archangel just shrugged.

“Perhaps he’s telling the truth, or it’s an empty threat. At this moment it’s hard to say. Regardless I don’t plan in cutting contact or betraying you.” Jaune sighed, both relieved and still tense. Hopefully she was telling the truth. Sadly he couldn’t be positive at the moment, though he would choose to take her word for the time being. “Was that all you wished to talk about?” Raguel continued.

“No.” Jaune answered shaking his head. “I had a vision last night, unlike the other repeating visions I’ve had in the past.”

“Is that so?” Raguel raised a brow. “Tell me about it.” Jaune inhaled deeply trying to choose his words.

“It started off with me kneeling inside a dark tunnel. It’s pitch black, the only locational clue being a stone floor. A loud screeching noise erupted from the end of the tunnel, a single bright light appearing and barreling towards me. Once we collided a large explosion occurred. Bodies erupted from the rubble and the monster revealed itself as a single eyed metal snake.” He finishes his story looking to Raguel for answers. “Any idea what it could mean?” He asked. The Archangel scratched her chin thoughtfully.

“And you’re sure this is the first time you’ve had this vision?” Raguel asked.

“It is. I’ve had plenty of visions of Vale, but none had been this clear upon the first viewing.” Raguel began pacing a bit still contemplating his words.

“It’s unfortunate to say that I’ve had a similar vision recently.” Jaune looked over to Raguel rather shocked. “It sounds like some form of disaster is going to befall Vale soon with lots of civilian casualties, and based on the clarity of your vision and mine I’d say within the next forty-eight hours If nothing else. The real question is what that metal monster is alluding to.” Both Angels began scratching their heads trying to think. 

“Is it Uriel? Maybe she’s the one responsible?” Jaune questioned. Raguel just shook her head.

“I don’t know. She hasn’t spoken to us in a long while, and Raphael didn’t tell me anything when we talked. Besides, things involving snakes usually have to do with you.” She had a point, as much as Jaune didn’t like it. If that was the case though, did that mean the disaster would be his fault? He didn’t plan on doing anything, but how could he be sure his actions wouldn’t cause an accidental disaster?

“Things just keep getting better and better.” He groaned rubbing his face in frustration. “What about your ‘underground connections’ or whatever you called it? Have you heard anything that could possibly be related?” She looked over to the side thinking for a moment before an idea seemed to hit.

“I’ve heard tell of increased White Fang activity in the city recently, particularly around the industrial district. They are gathering a lot of Dust as far as rumors go, though no one is really sure how they’ve manage to transport it in secret.”

“That’s certainly something.” Jaune mused. “So the White Fang could be the culprits too.”

“I never said they could be.” Raguel clarified. “I’m just stating what I’ve heard. It might even explain all the activity under-“

“Stop right there!” Jaune and Raguel both looked over to see a familiar monkey Faunus and blue haired teen.

“Umm… did I do something wrong?” Jaune questioned while Raguel just raised a brow suspiciously.

“You dropped your wallet dude.” Sun stated. He walked over and handed it to him with a polite grin. Jaune was sure to check for all his cards before sighing in relief.

“I didn’t even realize it was missing. Thanks for returning it.”

“No problem citizen.” Sun stated with a weird cadence in his voice.

“All in a day's work for the Junior Detectives.” Neptune added while crossing his arms in some cool pose.

“Did you two practice that?” Raguel asked slightly amused by the odd behavior. Neptune’s eyes suddenly widened in recognition and he quickly adopted a sauve smile.

“It’s nice to see you again.” Neptune said in a flirtatious manor.

“It’s a shame I can’t say the same about you.” Raguel shot back. 

“Dang.” Sun whistled surprised by the burn his friend just received. “What did you do to her?” 

“Nothing really.” Neptune shrugged it off before looking at Jaune. “So, do you two know each other?”

“... yes.” Jaune responded hoping to leave this conversation with them. Thankfully Sun seemed to catch the hint.

“Well, you two seem busy so we’ll just leave you guys to it.” He waved while dragging Neptune off. “See you later Jaune. We’ll have to hang out sometime.” 

“Goodbye.” Jaune replied thankful the interaction was short.

“Well, I think it best we continue this discussion another time.” She motioned to how crowded their little corner was getting.

“Yeah, you’re probably right.” Jaune sighed. “I should probably save my friends from whatever bullshit ‘Miltia’ is telling them.”

“I’m sure it can’t be that bad.” She laughed knowingly. Jaune just shot her an annoyed glare before tossing his bag at her.

“Here’s that stupid dress you loaned me.”

“Dress?” Raguel looked into the sack before bursting out in hard laughter. “Our friend swapped out the suit I packed. I’m sorry if it caused too much trouble.” She started as they walked back.

“It was a blessing and a curse really.” He sighed. “I should at least thank you. It did cheer my teammates up at the very least.”

“You’ll have to show me pictures.” She giggled.

“Ain’t happening. That was a one time thing. Besides, you’ve seen me in robes before. It’s honestly not that different.”

“Believe me when I say it is.” She grinned cheekily as they approached the group. Sariel was laughing hysterically while the others seemed rather uncomfortable. That couldn’t be good.

“Are you guys doing alright?” Jaune asked seeing the hint of hesitation when he approached.

“We’re fine!” Nora said a little too cheerfully. “Miltia was just telling us about that time you made a bet with your God and tortured this poor man by slaughtering his family, burning his house down… and covering him in sores…” She trailed off clearly done with the whole story.

“Is that so?” Jaune asked glaring daggers at the angel in red. Two could play at this game, and he had plenty of material. “Perhaps next we should share all of YOUR exploits on earth, like how you couldn’t keep your dick in your robes.” Sariel’s face suddenly flushed at the implication.

“Don’t you dare-“

“You know women of my realm were required to wear veils at all times no matter how hot it was. That was because Sariel and his cronies had a weird hair fetish-“

“I’ll kill you!” Sariel leapt at Jaune, but was quickly knocked back by Raguel.

“Enough. We have business to attend to.” Sariel stared up at her superior angrily but eventually gave in.

“Fine.” She spat in Jaune’s direction. “I’ll let him go, but only out of sheer pity.” 

“We’ll talk again soon. Take care of yourselves in the meantime.” Raguel waved her farewells to the group before dragging Sariel out of the store with her.

“Well That was a thing.” Ren commented.

“Yeah. Sorry about that.” Jaune sighed. “I didn’t think she would tell you anything like that.”

“I’m more surprised that she’s a guy.” Nora commented. “Not that there’s anything wrong with that, she just looks so much like her twin.” Jaune paused trying to hold in his own laughter. He failed miserably, letting out several loud cackles that got the attention of several other shoppers.

“Come on guys.” He breathed trying to get a hold of himself. “I’ve learned some new things that I think you should know.”

“We can’t speak here?” Pyrrha questioned.

“I don’t think the store clerk would appreciate it honestly.” He motioned over to the old man at the register, currently looking at the group suspiciously. 

Pyrrha smiled apologetically in his direction. “I’ll just… finish checking these out and we can leave.”

XxxxxxxxxX

“You can’t be serious.” Jaune shook his head at Ren’s statement. It was dark now, well past nine in the evening. The group was currently in a more secluded area of the industrial district thanks to Raguel’s suggestion, and Jaune took the chance to explain the little he managed to figured out so far.

“I really wish I was joking, but unfortunately this is all I know.”

“So basically you saw another Angel this morning with unknown intentions, and some sort of disaster will strike Vale in the next few days? And the only other Angels you trust are also clueless?” Nora asked just to clarify.

“Yep, that’s the gist of it. I had really hoped talking to them would shed more light then this. I wanted more info before presenting what I do have. You can see how that turned out.”

“And we’re talking about your dream with the metal snake, correct?” Pyrrha asked. Jaune nodded in response. 

“Neither of us knew what it could possibly allude to either. I’ve never seen anything quite like it in a vision.” The four went quite, all remembering the scene they were witness to. That one eyed serpent was both horrifying and destructive, but what in Vale could it refer to?

“Perhaps…” Pyrrha began scratching her chin in thought.

“What is it Pyrrha?” Nora questioned. 

“It’s just, the way the light shone from its eye. It reminded me of the trams back home in Argus.” Jaune looked at her thoughtfully.

“What’s a tram exactly?” He questioned as they all decided to sit on some Dust crates near an abandoned warehouse.

“It’s like a little train meant to carry people. It’s pretty slow and attached to a rail.” Pyrrha explained before trying to dust off one of the crates and taking a seat. Jaune set his load of bags on ground, sitting on his own box and pulling his scroll out. He remembered reading about trains while staying with the Arc family, and a quick search only cemented his rising fears. The trains he found were big, metallic and most had a single headlight on the front.

“Are there trains around Vale?” He questioned.

”Yeah, dozens of them.” Nora answered. “What kind of train are you asking about? There are plenty of passenger trains around the city, and freight trains are pretty common too.” Jaune inhaled deeply trying to think back on his conversation with Raguel. She said Dust had been disappearing and nobody knew how they were moving it. The angel was about to say something else before being interrupted. What was it though? Something about activity. But where would that activity be? He did a scam of the souls in the area. No other Angels thankfully. But he did find three unfamiliar souls several streets away. 

“Can trains be underground?” He finally asked narrowing his eyes when one of the strange souls started descending into the earth.

“You mean a subway?” Ren stated this time. “I don’t think there are any active ones in Vale anymore. Many major cities stopped using them due to some Grimm being able to infiltrate safe zones through the passageways.” 

Pyrrha seemed to catch on quickly, looking at Jaune with an air of excitement. “But the tunnels would still exist, right? They wouldn’t just fill them back in.” She looked over to Ren hoping this lead might go somewhere. “The vision took place in a cave, but that could have easily represented the subway system.” 

Ren scratched his chin thoughtfully. “That seems the most likely, but I’m not sure where any entrances would be.”

“I think this will help.” Jaune pulled up an older map of subway routes throughout the city. It had been scanned into the system and some of the times were difficult to read, but it was a map nonetheless.

“Where’d you even find that?” Nora questioned.

“I did a search for it. This was the first one to pop up.” Jaune shrugged. Pyrrha took his scroll and began examining the routes

“It looks like there used to be a subway entrance not far from here.” She pointed in the direction of the foreign souls.

“I think we’ll meet opposition though. I sense people hanging around that area.” Jaune added. “We should proceed with caution.”

“A stealth mission! Sounds like a plan!” Nora pulled out her own scroll and hit the call button, a rocket powered locker landing a few feet away not long after. Everyone else did the same, three other lockers landing in a group. Nora took her hammer out and proceeded to shove all the shopping bags in her locker, Ren slipping in behind her helping to arrange everything in a more manageable stack.

Jaune opened his finding the sword and shield he had borrowed from the Arcs. He’d need to return them one day, but that wasn’t the thing that scared him currently. The horned serpent was wrapped around his sword, staring up with a mocking grin.

‘Is it time to accept me yet? Or will you allow this catastrophe to happen? You know your team won’t be enough to stop it, especially while you’re this weak.’ Jaune glared at the thing knowing full well that it had a point. It would be nice to have some Angelic help in this matter, but he doubted Raguel or Sariel would want to risk being discovered. There was one more individual he could contact, there was just no guarantee he would actually help. Jaune looked down at the sigil burned into his wrist. Taking a deep breath he put his lips to the mark and closed his eyes. He focused his mind on the familiar dark energy trying to reach out to it. 

“Beelzebul, can you hear me?” Jaune whispered into the mark on his wrist. His phrases were each spoken in Hebrew, confusing his teammates though none of them interrupted.

“Yes Master! It’s so good to hear from you again!” The demon’s voice echoed from his wrist through his head. “How may I serve you?”

“My powers are weakened and a rough fight is coming up. I need to borrow some of your strength.”

“Anything for you Master! I’ll lend you as much as I can. Though I will need a part of you in return.”

“Will a lung and kidney suffice for now? I can’t trade anything external.”

“That will do just fine. Let’s make the exchange!” Beelzebul’s magic began pooling in the sigil on Jaune’s wrist, while a searing pain erupted through his chest and abdomen. He couldn’t help the sharp intake of air as he nearly doubled over.

“Jaune!?” Pyrrha dove in quickly before he hit the ground. The Angel quickly got his bearings again, straightening himself up despite the pain in his gut and chest. It felt like someone had lodged knives into his torso and the pain wasn’t receding much. He glanced down at the arm with Beelzebul’s mark, watching the sigil glow as the skin of his hand turned a solid black color. The symbol itself radiated a harsh yellow light indicating the temporary trade had been made. 

“What just happened?” Ren asked eyeing the blackened hand wearily. 

“I made a deal for some assistance in this battle.” Jaune stated. He looked up to his teammates with a stern expression while pulling his sleeve over the mark. He really could have used his gloves right now, but those were back at the dorm with the rest of their combat gear. 

“We need to work fast if we want to prevent this disaster. Is everyone ready to go?” Ren, Nora and Pyrrha all nodded, each of them ready  
follow his lead. 

“Alright then, let’s get moving.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter was beta read by Maldevinine.
> 
> Fun times happen and the plot moves towards some action at last. We will finally have some combat soon!
> 
> Feedback is always appreciated!


	17. Into the Dark

“We’ve been walking for hours!” Nora groaned, her voice echoing in the dark and cold subway tunnels. They were lit only by the lights from four scrolls and chilly enough that Pyrrha was glad of her long sleeves, though she knew that would change once a serious fight broke out. 

“We’ve encountered quite a few White Fang already though, so I’d assume we’re going the right way.” Ren added. That was also a very good point. If it weren’t for Jaune’s ability to track souls she was positive they’d be hopelessly lost, but she had started learning that the ability had its limits. At least in his weakened state his tracking ability seemed to have a shorter range than she expected, and that would decrease depending on the amount of concrete between him and the target. As long as there were White Fang grunts spread throughout the tunnels it was easy for him to follow the path, but when their numbers started getting more sporadic his pace visibly slowed. He was clearly trying to find any trace of living activity, and his tense demeanor only solidified her growing concern.

Jaune suddenly came to a stop at a fork in the tunnels. He looked between the two branching passageways carefully before letting out a defeated sigh. 

“I’m lost.” Jaune finally admitted. “I can’t find any more souls in either direction.”

“Well this is just perfect!” Nora shouted. “We’re going to be stuck down here forever at this rate!” Jaune paused, rubbing the back of his head trying to think of a plan.

“Everyone start searching the tunnel.” He ordered. “The right path should have more signs of recent activity.”

“Okay.” Pyrrha said trying to sound more confident then she actually was. She didn’t have any skill at tracking, though hopefully it wouldn’t be too hard to tell. While Ren and Nora began scanning the ground and tracks Pyrrha and Jaune started searching the opposing walls. She shone her light up near the ceiling, finally getting a good look at the architecture. The ceiling and walls were moldy and covered in dust and cobwebs, but that wasn’t what caught her focus.

“Look at all of this.” Pyrrha motioned to the graffiti completely covering the wall. Most of it looked several decades old, some words about slavery and oppression along with the image of a Faunus being lynched by humans. Some happier images were also present, but the majority seemed drab and hopeless. There were names and hand prints covering the lower wall, but near the top was something much newer. It was the profile of a beowolf head with three white claw marks running across it. 

“The White Fang...” Ren stated thoughtfully. “Perhaps they are using these as markers to help guide them through this maze?”

“I guess that means we’re on the right track then.” Nora added. “We should keep following the left tunnel then, right Jaune?” She waited a moment but didn’t get an immediate answer. Nora turned around to see him in an offshoot between two pillars near what used to be a maintenance door. The group slowly moved closer with weapons at the ready.

“Jaune? What did you-“ Pyrrha stopped mid sentence upon seeing the sight before her. On the filth covered floor was the mark of that pentagram Jaune used on their necklaces, only this one felt sinister in an odd way. It was made from blood, and most of it had already faded over time and was difficult to see. Jaune never took his eyes away from it, clearly thinking carefully about the discovery. In the center of the circle were several skeletal remains of various animals, including a dog and several cats. 

“It’s Black Cult activity.” Ren thought aloud moving a bit closer. “What were they doing down here?”

“Seeking favor from the one they worshiped.” The blonde stated. He quickly noticed how confused his teammates appeared and continued his explanation. “It’s a ritual circle, and based on the number of animal bones I’d say they were pretty desperate.” Jaune answered. He pushed aside some of the bones revealing a faded symbol in the center. “This is the sigil of Beelzebul, the one responsible for the Black Cult in your realm.” 

“How do you know?” Nora questioned nervously.

“He was my underling back in my home realm. I was kind of responsible for most of the demons on earth.” He started scratching his head nervously upon seeing their unfavorable expressions. “He kind of made it over to this realm when I wound up here. I’m still not sure how though.” 

“Well that’s reassuring.” Ren replied dryly. “Is this another Angel we need to worry about?”

“Demon actually.” Jaune corrected. The blonde shied away from the other’s death glare, finally realizing how much he screwed up. “Though he was an Angel at one time. He was… killed during an argument between Archangel Michael and myself. After his residual energy feasted on the collective gluttony and greed of humans the guy was reborn as a demon.” 

“Is he a threat to us or not?” Ren finally asked.

“No. Beelzebul seems more inclined towards obeying me. He’s actually the one I’m borrowing magic from.” The blonde held up his blackened hand for emphasis, showing them the glowing yellow sigil on his wrist that matched the faded one in the ritual circle. “For the moment he isn’t a threat.”

“What other creatures from your realm do you know about being here? Just get it out and stop surprising us.” Ren stated tightly. Pyrrha could feel the frustration building in her friend. She didn’t like seeing Ren upset. He was supposed to be the calm one on the team. Now he was reaching his limits and a fresh strain was growing between the boys.

“I’m sorry, it just didn’t come up before.” Jaune defended. “It’s easy to forget what I have and haven’t told you guys.” Ren was about to continue until the bomber finally cut in. 

“As much as I love hearing about this could we start moving again soon?” Nora asked clearly uncomfortable. “Something about that circle gives me the creeps.”

“Yeah, you’re right.” Jaune nodded after a moment's pause. “We shouldn’t waste any more time.” The group traveled down the left tunnel in relative silence, though Pyrrha couldn’t help but feel uneasy. That circle made her feel wrong on so many levels, and she couldn’t help but wonder who created it. The answer was most likely the Faunus since the practice originated within their culture. To top it off the monster they were praying to wasn’t some imagined deity. He was real just like Jaune, and she couldn’t even imagine what sort of horrible things those cultist were praying for. The thought sent a shiver up her spine. If the circle alone created energy that evil then it must have been something horrific. 

“What is this supposed to be?” Jaune questioned jolting Pyrrha from her thoughts. She glanced up seeing the tunnel had opened up into a larger area. It was too dark to see the ceiling clearly, but she managed to spot a platform using the light on her scroll. A few newer boxes were spread haphazardly around the ground and platform but she couldn’t see how many there were.

“We’re in a subway station.” Pyrrha answered.

“We’ll yeah, but which station?” Nora added.

Pyrrha pulled up the map Jaune had showed them earlier on her scroll and began examining it. She looked to the platform signs, seeing their location marked as ‘N. Schnee Station.’ “It looks like we’re near the edge of the residential district.” Pyrrha said. “We really have been walking a long time.”

“Do you see anyone?” Ren asked Jaune, already getting his weapons ready.

“No, there aren’t any souls in the vicinity. We should be fine.”

“Now if only we could actually see.” Nora added trying to navigate with her small scroll light.

“If there was recent activity I’m sure they have some form of power running through here.” Jaune stated starting to walk forward. “We should look around and see if- GAH!” The blonde tripped, falling flat on his face with a yelp. The clattering of something metallic accompanied his fall and rolled a short distance before stopping. He laid sprawled out on the ground for a moment before finally rolling over with a groan.

“Are you okay Jaune?” Pyrrha offered a hand helping him to his feet. Jaune gripped his chest briefly as if pained, but quickly regain composure.

“Yeah, I just tripped on something stupid.” He kicked the thing lightly for emphasis. Pyrrha shone her scroll light down and saw the object in question was an electric lantern, as well as a small crate with dust spilling out of it.

“Are you sure?” Pyrrha asked noticing his odd behavior. “You were grabbing at your-“

“Our prayers have been answered!” Nora cheered quickly grabbing up the lantern. She fumbled with the thing until finding a dial on the side. Turning it the light slowly started glowing at a bright intensity, illuminating a good portion of the station. The first thing they noticed were a few golf carts and trailers, most of them in disrepair. One of them was missing all four tires, while another had it’s hood popped open but nothing else visibly wrong. The last one had a dented body like it had crashed into something, but otherwise looked to be in usable shape. Across from the platform was a second set of tracks, a few passenger cars sitting unused and falling apart. The tracks themselves were in decent shape, with clear evidence that they had been used more recently then she expected. That was nothing compared to the sight above them though.

“It’s… bigger than I thought.” Jaune commented. He wasn’t kidding. Pyrrha didn’t expect to see vaulted ceilings in a subway station. The group hopped onto the platform getting a good look at the area. The architecture was rather old in style, with tiled arches supporting the ceiling. The name of the subway station was inlaid into the tiling as a mosaic. The walls themselves were lined with small squares of filthy green tiles, though they had probably been more of a blueish green when they were in pristine condition. There was a dilapidated ticket booth in one of the walls, and the broken remains of gates were lined up close by. 

“It’s like walking into the past.” Ren breathed while moving around to take a closer look at everything. Pyrrha began wandering around herself. Despite the White Fang activity the place looked very well preserved.

“Look at me guys!” Everyone turned to see Nora standing behind a set of bars on the platform. They looked like they belonged in an old fashioned prison, which the bomber was sure to emphasize. “You’ll never take me alive coppers!” She sneered trying to impersonate a thug of some kind.

“I wonder why they have bars on the platform to begin with.” Ren contemplated. It was an odd addition. Starting behind the ticket booth the bars continued all the way towards the platform, cutting a fourth of the space off from the rest. It just didn’t make sense to include a divider like this.

“Does that answer your question?” Jaune pointed to the floor where Nora was standing. She kicked some of the dust up with her shoe revealing the words ‘Faunus Line’ in large letters. 

“That’s a bit disturbing.” Ren added upon realizing what it was meant for. They kept the Faunus separated by iron bars, as if they were animals being caged in a zoo.

“I don’t remember Professor Oobleck mentioning this in class.” Pyrrha commented.

“He seemed more focused on the Faunus War if I remember right.” Ren replied. The champion decided to check around the ticket booth, seeing the bars turned into a slightly shorter fence leading from the start of the booth to two separate stairwells. There was also a water fountain on the human side of the station with the sign ‘Humans Only’ on the wall above it. She tried to find something similar on the other side, only seeing a hose hooked up to one of the walls with the sign ‘Faunus Only’ above it. Just a little higher than that someone had written in graffiti the words ‘Why We Fight’ in large red text.

“This is unbelievable.” Pyrrha breathed. 

“It’s horrible.” Nora added, now completely done sightseeing. 

“It’s a dead body.” The rest of the group paused at hearing Jaune’s voice sounding far too calm considering the words he just uttered. “Multiple in fact.” He added. Pyrrha glanced around trying to find her partner, only seeing her other two teammates.

“Jaune? Where are you?” She asked already getting her weapon ready.

“Over here.” He added, waving his arm from behind the gates. The three cautiously made their way over to him, stepping through the decrepit gates and finding a larger waiting room attached. Along with the blocked off stairwells there were several ratty looking benches and two separate restrooms, one specifically designated to human men and the other human women. Jaune was standing near the women’s restroom where several forms were sprawled out by the wall. The champion cautiously approached for a better look, only to go stock still. A row of skeletons were laid out on the ground with some bullet holes in the tiles above them. They had been laying there for a long time, all flesh stripped from their dried bones and several layers of cobwebs had already accumulated. At least two of the skeletons had long tail bones, indicating their Faunus heritage.

“W-What is this?!” Pyrrha questioned as her stomach started to churn. Nora wasn’t looking anymore, having taken a few steps back with Ren putting a supportive hand on her shoulder. Jaune was less concerned with the sight. His eyes seemed to be drawn to one skeleton in particular. He stepped over some of the remains to reach his target, swiping away the cobwebs before shaking the fingers open. A dark red object fell to the floor, one that Jaune was quick to pick up. He wiped some of the dust away, his face paling after further examination.

“W-what did you find?” Pyrrha asked voice still shaken.

“Something I never thought I’d see again.” Jaune murmured. “The fact that it’s the real deal makes it far scarier.”

“What do you mean?” Ren asked. Jaune ran his fingers through his hair and sighed.

“Give me a second. I need to confirm something with my demon friend.”

“Demon friend? You mean the Beelze-Whatever?” Nora asked. Jaune just nodded. 

“Yeah, That one. I promise it will only be a couple minutes.” Jaune reassured. He smoothly pulled back the sleeve around his blackened hand and began whispering into the mark on his wrist. He spoke in a hushed tone, his words in an odd language Pyrrha recognized from before they entered the subway. She didn’t know what was being said, and neither did her other teammates. They could only wait while their team leader seemingly spoke gibberish to himself. It took a few minutes for Jaune to finally open his eyes and face them.

“So you guys remember the ritual circle we saw a while back?” Jaune questioned.

“Well yeah! It’s kind of hard to forget.” Nora exclaimed.

“Right. Well, you’ll be glad to know these are the cultists that made it.”

“That’s… something at least.” Ren stated. “I’m surprised we figured that out so quickly.” Pyrrha just looked on completely mortified. 

“But why are they all dead?” She questioned. That was the thing she couldn’t get over. All the bullet holes in the walls above them indicated a murder, but she really hoped she was wrong.

“Apparently they performed the ritual back during the Faunus War. They prayed to Beelzebul for help keeping their ground in Vale since the Faunus were being pushed back. He obliged by giving them this.” Jaune held up the object in question. It almost looked like a checkers piece, but appeared to be made of wax. Upon it was an odd symbol, two scythes laid across each other. “Based on the bullet holes in the wall, I’m guessing they were found by the enemy.” Nora leaned in trying to get a better look at the weird object. 

“So what exactly is this thing anyway?” She reached her hand out planning to touch the object, only for Jaune to pull it away.

“Trust me, you really don’t want to do that.” He said much to everyone’s confusion. The Angel just sighed trying to figure out the best approach.

“So… this thing won't make much sense without any context. I’ll try to keep the history lesson brief. Mind you, I don’t remember any of this happening, but I can tell you how it was supposed to go down.” He looked to his teammates gathered around, making sure they were paying close attention.

“When the world was set to end, there were seven seals upon a special scroll in the possession of the Lord. Each time a seal was broken a different catastrophe would strike the world. The Lamb Of God, otherwise known as the Son of God, would be responsible for opening each seal and bringing the earth's destruction. This-“ He held up the waxy object for emphasis. “Is the fourth seal.”

“And what does that mean exactly?” Nora questioned.

“It means, more bullshit made it to this realm then just Angels, and the fact that humans have these in their possession can be really, really bad.” 

“How bad exactly?” Pyrrha continued.

“In the wrong hands, this thing could be used to cause destruction on a natural disaster sized level. Not even your best huntsmen could stop their rampage.”

The three were completely stunned. That couldn’t be right. Such a small object couldn’t be capable of such horrible destruction. Then again, none of them had taken Jaune seriously when he wanted to spar against them with his magic. That was a wake up call, and if he said this thing could do that much damage they should try to take it seriously. 

“I still want to know what it does.” Ren interjected. “If it’s that powerful you should at least explain why.”

“Well, there are three other seals similar to this one. Collectively these are known as The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.”

“Wait, you mean a guy on a horse lives inside that thing?” Nora questioned getting confused.

“Not exactly. The creature that resides in this is not human or Angel. It is a natural force. Neither good nor evil, its sole purpose to reap the souls of the dying. The only real comparison humans could make were horsemen, traveling quickly across the plains to deliver their curse. This one in particular was called the Pale Rider, or Death. At the moment it’s dormant, but it could awaken if bonded with a human soul.”

“So one of us could use it then?” Ren asked.

“What? No!” Jaune told him gripping the seal tighter. “Why would you even suggest that?”

“Your demon gave it to the Faunus to use.” He argued. “Honestly, it would be better than being defenseless against Cinder and her group.” Jaune just shook his head.

“First of all, you should never make deals with demons. That’s a horrible idea. Second-“ He pointed to the corpse for emphasis. “I can guarantee that Faunus had to sell his soul to Beelzebul for it. If you wish to use it you’d need to sell your soul to me before safely bonding with it. Otherwise your soul would be torn into an unrecognizable monstrosity of destruction… I don’t want to watch that happen.”

Ren looked like he was trying to think of a response, but decided to step aside instead. He seemed rather thoughtful about what was said, and Pyrrha couldn’t blame him. She didn’t like knowing how useless she really was against a real Angel. Jaune sounded like he was being honest. It was just hard to believe using something like that little seal would have such devastating consequences. 

“So… can you use it?” Nora questioned.

“Excuse me?” Jaune asked a bit startled.

“I mean, you said it’s super dangerous in human hands. Does that mean you can use it safely instead?” Jaune remained quiet, rubbing his chin thoughtfully trying to think of an answer.

“I… honestly don’t know. They’ve always been attached to that scroll, so none of the Angels have ever even touched them. I just know how it affects human souls.” Pyrrha became more concerned at his uncertainty, but Nora seemed to leap with fresh excitement.

“You should try it and see! Maybe it will help against the Angels that you’re scared of.” That statement seemed to flip something, Jaune clearly getting angry.

“Hey! Don’t just say I’m scared of her!”

“But you are!” Nora protested. “Otherwise you wouldn’t go through such lengths to try protecting us, right?” Jaune’s angry glare started to subside. He looked between the three of them and the seal, inhaling deeply before nodding.

“I am curious myself.” Ren added. “You mentioned seeing a new Angel this morning, and his current whereabouts are still a mystery.” Jaune looked over to Pyrrha hopeful for some support, but she struggled to hide her own curiosity. He didn’t have a human soul, and the fact that he was clueless on its effects was just fuel to the fire. It took a minute before Jaune let out a defeated sigh.

“You… have a point Nora, but this isn’t the place to try it.” He motioned up to the ceiling for emphasis. “We’re directly under a residential area, right? It seems wrong to put them at risk if this doesn’t work.” Nora seemed surprised when he mentioned the people above them, quickly giving in at the realization. 

“Okay, we won’t try it now. But you have to do it later!”

“Fine, but first we have to find this damn train.” Jaune huffed. They turned to the tunnel opposite the one they came from. It was equally dark and quiet, probably another several mile trek through darkness without a clear destination. Apparently Nora felt the same way as she angrily set the lantern down with a frustrated groan.

“Can’t you use your Angel powers to get us there or something?!” Nora asked impatiently.

“What about the Faunus issue though?” Pyrrha thought aloud. “We’re dealing with the White Fang. Don’t they go berserk around him?”

“That’s what I was worried about really.” Jaune sighed. “I have no clue how large their range is on detecting me. We’d lose the element of surprise.”

“If we continue on like this though I doubt we’d get there in time.” Nora groaned. “We could really use a ride.” Pyrrha thought on her statement before turning back to the golf carts. She had an idea, though she’d never really tried it before. The champion walked over to the beat up vehicle while the others continued talking. She compared it to the other two, noticing this particular one had barely any dust accumulation. It had been used more recently then. The question was if the thing would even work. Pyrrha took a seat in the driver’s side while moving her hand over the transmission. With her semblance she took hold of the lock cylinder. She quickly turned it, waiting for a noise but nothing seemed to happen. She pondered for a moment, placing her foot lightly on the gas pedal. She failed to withhold a small scream as the cart shot forward a few feet and crashed into the elevated cart missing its wheels. The thing toppled off its pedestal with an echoing crash.

“Are you okay Pyrrha?” Nora rushed over hearing the odd yelp of panic. The boys were quick to follow.

“S-Sorry, I’m fine.” Pyrrha blushed seeing all eyes were now in her. How embarrassing.

“Wait, did you get the cart running?” Ren asked next. Nora’s eyes were already lighting up with anticipation.

“You mean we can go for a joyride?!” She jumped excitedly. 

“That was the original plan.” Pyrrha said awkwardly. “Only I don’t know how to drive.” She looked up to Jaune hopefully, only for the blonde to hold his hands up defensively.

“Don’t ask me. I was told never to touch vehicles again after the tractor incident with the Arcs.” Pyrrha looked at him with a quirked brow. Tractor incident? That was certainly a new one. She’d have to ask him about that at a later time.

“Ren can drive!” Nora pointed to her partner excitedly.

“You can?” Pyrrha asked rather surprised.

“Well, I did work as a delivery boy when Nora and I moved to Mistral. It’s how we made ends meet for a while.”

“The shop owners let us live in the attic!” Nora added proudly.

“That’s great news.” Pyrrha smiled. “We’ll let Ren drive the cart then.” Everyone climbed in while Pyrrha scooted over so Ren could get situated. He looked to the shift stick and foot pedals curiously.

“This is a bit different then the scooter I drove back then.”

“It can’t be that big of a difference.” Jaune thought aloud. “You just hit the pedal to move right?”

“Well, first we need to shift this in reverse.” Ren grabbed the stick and shifted it into the reverse position. Pyrrha waited as Ren slowly put his foot down on the pedal, the cart flying backwards into the platform with a crash.

“I take it that was reverse?” Jaune asked rubbing the back of his head with a wince. “Reverse is painful.” Ren just tensed his shoulders a bit in embarrassment. 

“It’s okay Renny!” Nora cheered. “I know you can do it!”

“Thanks for the vote of confidence.” Ren added while moving the stick into the drive position. He tapped the pedal even lighter then before, the cart now slowly creeping forward. He turned the wheel getting the golf cart between a gap in the tracks and clumsily driving through the next tunnel. Jaune lifted the lantern higher right as they passed another White Fang symbol painted high on the wall. 

“See! I knew Ren could do it!” Nora celebrated.

“The vehicle should at least help us find the train faster than walking would. This was a great idea Pyrrha.” Jaune added.

“Oh! It was nothing.” Pyrrha said with a small blush. Nora gave her a devious grin though she chose to ignore it. The champion just wanted to find this train and stop these criminals from hurting anyone else.

XxxxxxxxxX

The troop of four drove through the tunnels in relative silence. They had only encountered a few more White Fang members in their many hours of searching, and none of them proved to be an issue. Jaune was quietly gripping his gut trying to hide the flaring pain every bump caused him. He hated making deals with demons, but he felt trading a few organs for temporary strength would be the best option at the time. He just didn’t realize how much it would hurt in a weakened state. Though his organs weren’t necessary to his survival, the pain caused by their absence was torturous to say the least. He didn’t know how useful he’d be in a real fight, and that prospect was making him nervous. If he sprouted his wings the pain wouldn’t be an issue really, but the White Fang would be. Dealing with Blake was hard enough with his wings present. He didn’t like thinking how a horde of Faunus would react. Jaune could slaughter them all easily, but he really didn’t want to. He wasn’t the same Angel anymore, and he wouldn’t become a merciless killer in front of his human friends. It just made his life that much harder though-

His scroll started ringing. Questioningly Jaune pulled it from his pocket seeing that Ruby was trying to contact him. He hit the answer button and put it up to his ear.

“Ruby?”

“Jau-“ Ruby’s voice came through in clipped sentences. “We- d Hel-“ The call cut off.

“What was that about?” Pyrrha questioned.

“Don’t know.” He answered. “I couldn’t understand her. I have a bad feeling about it though.”

“I think we’re in bad shape already.” Ren tapped one of the meters on their golf cart as the thing started to crawl to a halt. “I think the battery’s dead.” 

“Seriously?!” Nora growled in annoyance. “It only ran for an hour!”

“Well, we did cover significant ground while we had it. I’d say that’s a good thing.” Pyrrha put on a reassuring smile hoping to calm the groups annoyance. Jaune didn’t say anything, opting to crawl out of the back seat and stand. His muscles really didn’t like it, and he needed to grab for the cart before regaining his posture.

“Are you sure you’re alright Jaune?” Pyrrha asked worriedly. 

“Never better.” Jaune affirmed before taking a few steps forward. Everyone else climbed out of the cart too, though he could still feel all of their gazes boring into his back. He tried his best to refrain from holding his gut as a fresh wave of cramping pain radiated through his torso.

“Maybe we should rest?” Ren suggested out of the blue.

“Are you getting tired already? We just started walking” Jaune questioned looking back at his three teammates.

“No, it’s just that you’re limping a bit.” Nora added. “Are you sure you’re okay? You were also walking a little funny earlier.”

“I’m fine guys.” Jaune said with a strained grin. “We just need to keep moving.”

“But what if something-” 

“I said I’m fine!” The Angel snapped. All three of his teammates moved back at the display, Pyrrha clearly looking the most hurt.

“Look, I promise I’ll be fine.” Jaune sighed. “I’m sorry if you don't understand, but I’ll do what I believe needs to be done.” Which was true in this case. If things go as poorly as he thinks they will then Beelzebul’s power will be more than necessary. He just needed to remind himself he’d get his organs back when this was all over.

“It’s almost seven in the morning.” Ren stated, looking to his scroll with a hint of disappointment. “We’re going to miss our mission.”

“I thought that was something you were all okay with when we came down here.” Jaune added a bit confused that he brought it up.

“We didn’t think it would take this long!” Nora shouted in agitation. “Seriously, do the White Fang walk this path every time? Because this is ridiculous!”

“Hey guys-“

“What will Ms. Goodwitch do to us when she finds out we were gone all night?” Pyrrha added now getting frantic herself. “And that we didn’t show up to the Bullhead. Ozpin will be furious too.”

“Hey, could you three-“

“OH NO!” Nora screamed with fresh horror. “We’re gonna get expelled for this! Me and Ren will be back on the streets, we’ll never see you two again, this is a disaster!”

“Quiet!” Ren ordered. Everyone stopped talking and looked to the ninja questioningly. “Do you guys hear that?” Jaune put his head up against the wall, feeling an odd vibration that was quickly getting stronger. That couldn’t be good.

“Nora, can you make a door for us?” Jaune asked pointing to the concrete wall. The bomber’s fear turned to excitement at the order.

“You got it!” Nora saluted and immediately switched her weapon into hammer form. It only took her two solid hits to create a man sized hole they could walk through. Jaune was sure to examine the tunnel first, shining the lantern inside and glancing back and forth. Surprisingly there were several lights along the walls that were clearly still functional.

“This tunnel is still in use.” Ren added looking around the not as decrepit area. The tracks even showed signs of repair, like someone was really trying to keep it functional.

“It looks like it.” Pyrrha added. “This would lead directly to the White Fang base, right?”

“It should, I hope“ He stopped as a loud screech reverberated off the walls. It sounded like the roar of a monster quickly approaching their location. Then a light appeared. A single bright beam shining blindingly bright as the target came into view.

“I’m guessing that’s our train?” Ren commented. Jaune breathed as the light got brighter. They were already out of time. 

“It’s getting closer.” Pyrrha said looking between the train and Jaune. “What should we do?”

“Everyone get close.” Jaune ordered. “I’ll give us a boost.”

“A boost?” The champion asked. Jaune didn’t bother answering, instead getting on one knee and placing his blackened hand on the floor. The dark magic began pooling around the four of them, creating a small platform under their feet. He waited a moment for the train whizzed by, a strong gust of air hitting as the monstrosity roared far louder than he expected. It was going incredibly fast, far faster then he’d ever seen a human car move. Hopefully that wouldn’t affect their landing too badly.

“Ready?!” He shouted trying to speak over the noise. His teammates all got into fighting stances with their weapons at the ready. Jaune inhaled deeply, eyes narrowing in focus. This was it. 

“NOW!” The dark platform shot upwards; all four of them gaining extra lift as they jumped at the last moment. They sailed through the air right towards the top of the rail cars.

Jaune hit with a loud thud, unable to catch himself on the quickly moving train. He yelped at the flaring agony in his chest upon impact, tumbling back a bit only to be stopped by a firm hand.

“Nice one fearless leader!” Nora cheered as she hoisted him upright. Jaune tried to steady himself, soon seeing his other teammates looking towards the rear cars.

“Isn’t that Ruby?!” Ren shouted. Jaune looked back seeing several large mechanical men fighting a red blur. The appearance of red rose petals as one of the enemies fell confirmed their suspicions. 

“Those are Atlesian Paladins!” Pyrrha added getting a better look at the metal men. “How did they get those?”

“It doesn’t matter!” Jaune shouted. “Come on! Let's give her a hand!” 

Ren and Pyrrha started running towards the action, but Jaune nearly fell over after a few steps. This was really bad. The blonde needed a chance to recover but he wasn’t given the option.

“Is it time for ‘Nora’s Arc?’” The bomber looked over at him with a devilish grin. Jaune blinked at her for a moment before smiling back. He couldn’t believe she remembered that stupid pun but it was appropriate. The blonde crouched a bit lifting his shield up.

“Let’s go then. Nora’s Arc!” Nora couldn't help but cackle, switching her weapon into hammer form and backing up for a running start. She charged forward, doing a front flip over Jaune and pressing her hammer to his shield. He pushed forward right as she pulled the trigger, sending her in a long flying arc over several train cars with a trail of pink smoke right behind. She somersaulted in the air to build momentum for her hammer aiming for one of the rear Paladins. She flipped several more times at the approach, swinging her hammer back and slamming it on a Paladin’s windshield. Heavy cracks grew through the glass leaving the pilot completely blind.

“Did you see that guys! That was AWESOME!” Nora cheered getting the attention of everyone. The White Fang grunts stared at her in confusion. Jaune took the chance, placing his blackened hand on the roof of the car. Several black tendrils extended from the shadows and quickly moved towards the battle. They shot out of the ground, impaling four separate Paladins and keeping them trapped in place. Ren leapt into the air before his target could shoot, landing near the windshield and firing his rounds into the arm joints of the robot. Ruby followed his lead and drove her scythe into the joint of the other arm, firing her scythe and letting the recoil take the arm off. Sparks started flying on Ren’s side and the remaining arm fell uselessly. Pyrrha avoided the damaged robot, aiming her spear right for another one. The targeted Paladin lifted its gun in the air and began firing, only for Pyrrha to dodge the first shot before using her semblance to twist the metallic arm around. She aimed it directly at the fourth Paladin as the large gun went off, damaging the other robot beyond use. Nora leapt back into action, using her hammer to knock Pyrrha's Paladin right off the train. The two girls jumped back onto the train car while Ren swiftly took care of the pilots climbing from their vehicles. Jaune stood at the victory, limping a bit as he made his way over to his teammates.

“JAUNE?!” Ruby shouted in both relief and confusion. She ran forward and embraced him in a quick hug. “What are you guys doing here?! I thought my call didn’t go through! And what happened to your hand?!” 

“It’s a long story.” The blonde shrugged. “We don’t have time for it anyway. What’s going on?” Ruby nodded, pointing at the freight car below her.

“Torchwick loaded this train with bombs. He’s been blowing holes through the tunnel letting Grimm through, and if we don’t stop this train we’re going to breach Vale!” The blonde looked to the tracks for a moment, noticing that the train wheels were reliant on them. If they could lift the train off the tracks or destroy the rails then they could stop this thing. 

“Where are the others?” Jaune asked next, not seeing her teammates.

“The rest of my team went ahead to try stopping the train. They went into the cars a while back. Dr. Oobleck is farther back fighting more Paladins.”

“That’s… good to know.” Jaune internally cursed. This would make his job harder. If they were literally all spread out he couldn’t just pick a spot in the tracks and destroy it. He might end up killing one of Ruby’s teammates, and he didn’t think the girl would like that. He needed to get to the front of the train then  
“Maybe now would be a good time for your Angel powers?” Nora suggested. Jaune just looked at her with a blank stare.

“How many Faunus are on this train?” Jaune questioned. He knew he’d send the whole train into a frenzy, and that would likely cause far more problems than they could handle in a short timeframe. Nora went quiet for a moment thinking on his question.

“Yeah, I didn’t really think about that.”

“We’ll figure it out another way.” Pyrrha offered. “Jaune?” The blonde turned to his teammates with a stern expression.

“Ren and Nora will take point. Use your ranged weapons to keep the enemies at bay. Pyrrha and I need to get to the front few cars if this is going to work, and we need to do it fast.” Jaune then turned to Ruby. “Mind guarding our backs?” 

The reaper cocked her rifle with a knowing smirk. “Lead the way.”

“You got it!” Nora smiled with a thumbs up. Ren gave a quick nod before turning to run side by side with his partner. He whipped out his pistols and began shooting at any White Fang trying to block the way, while Nora let off the occasional grenade clearing the larger hordes out. The formation was working, and the group was making good time traveling from car to car.

Then there was an explosion, Jaune blown back by the force and almost falling off the train. Pyrrha grabbed his hand at the last moment, hoisting him upright. He looked back and saw a large White Fang grunt had Ruby locked in combat fighting with a large sword while another held a bazooka and was aiming a second round towards his teammates. Pyrrha held up her rifle and started firing at the thugs, distracting Ruby’s attacker enough for her to get the upper hand. She swung her scythe around knocking the man back. In a flurry of rose petals she started beating back the bazooka wielder.

“Keep going guys! I’ll hold them off!” The four kept moving making it several more cars before Nora stopped dead in her tracks.

“Isn’t that the end of the line?!” The bomber shouted. Jaune glanced over seeing the train was headed straight for a massive wall.

He gritted his teeth while looking between the links holding the cars together and the rapidly moving ground. He had one shot at this and he had no clue if he could stop the bombs from blowing up but it was all he could think of.

“Separate the cars Pyrrha! Everyone else hold on tight!” Pyrrha quickly used her semblance on the latch holding the cars together, the metal twisting and turning as she attempted separating the two while they were still under tension. With a loud clank the metal came apart and the two cars began to separate.

This was it.

Focusing the demonic energy into his hand Jaune placed it down on the train car and let the darkness surround everything. It even coated over his teammates much to their surprise. They all gasped and held their breaths as the dark sludge surrounded them. He closed his eyes trying to combine the demonic energy with the little magic he still possessed. He raised his head, eyes glowing and darkness coursing through his skin.

“BEELZEBUL!”

Large black spikes erupted from the ground and impaled the front two cars. The remaining tracks were completely shredded as both the cars and train engine were forced off the rails. Jaune couldn’t tell what happened to team RWBY or the engine. He could just see the sparks shooting out around him as the entire car flipped. All he could hear were his friends screaming as the train cars veered into the tunnel wall with a loud bang.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta read by Maldevinine from AO3. You guys should check out their fics.
> 
> Longest chapter yet and a crap load of stuff goes down. Hopefully it’s a good balance of quite and action. Also where was the ‘show don’t tell’ aspect of Racism in RWBY? Like they talk about it, but seeing a sign in a few shops saying “Humans Only” or “No Service to Animals” would really help sell the idea.
> 
> Feedback is always appreciated


	18. When it All Came Crashing Down

“-ake?”

…

“Blake?”

… 

“Blake?!” 

The Faunus opened her eyes with a groan, the world too bright for her to see at the moment. She squeezed them shut hoping that stupid voice would leave her alone. “Thank Oum you’re still alive!” A pair of muscular arms pulled the cat Faunus into a tight hug. Though annoyed she didn’t have the will power to struggle too much, instead trying to renter reality. Blake blinked as her eyes slowly adjusted to the bright sky and took in her current surroundings. There were bystanders and Atlesian soldiers swarming the area, as well as a few injured civilians laying on cots close by. Suddenly the memories of what happened came back in full force.

“Sun?!” Blake stiffened trying to pull away from his grip. “What's going on? Where are the others?” 

“Yang is okay, and they just found Weiss.” The monkey Faunus answered.

“Found? What do you mean?” He motioned over to the large border wall behind them. Though the sight was partially blocked by people she could see a large section had completely crumpled. Without thinking the girl stood up, not expecting the sharp pain radiating through her leg.

“Hey!” Sun leaned in quickly helping her balance. “You’re not supposed to be moving-“

“I’m going to see my teammates.” Blake said sternly. “So either help me get there or stay out of my way.” Sun seemed hesitant for a moment, glancing around for an available medic but finding none. He eventually nodded and wrapped one of her arms around his shoulder, helping her walk to the crash site. It was worse than she first thought. The visible section of tunnel had collapsed in on itself. What once was the train’s railway was nothing more than a divot in the mountain now spilling rubble into the city. Though the collapse meant no Grimm could enter, it also implied that many of the White Fang on that train were probably trapped or worse. She could see the remains of the train engine, though it didn’t travel far from the tunnel. The damage was actually rather isolated. A few of the nearest buildings suffered some broken windows, but otherwise everything was still standing.

“Apparently it could have been a lot worse.” Sun commented trying to lighten the mood a bit. “Yang said the train flipped before ramming the wall. If they had hit full force the damage would have spread a lot farther. At least that’s what I’ve heard so far.” The monkey Faunus was waiting for a response but Blake wouldn’t give him one. She was too focused on a familiar blonde currently digging through rubble.

“RUBY?!” Yang shouted while chucking another boulder sideways. “Ruby! Please answer me!” She begged only to gasp at her next discovery. The brawler stepped back when an emergency responder noticed her reaction. Within a minute he had called several people in emergency gear to the site. Before Blake knew it the workers were walking off with the discovery tucked away in a body bag. She pushed away from Sun and limped a bit closer, at least to where the soldiers wouldn’t force her back.

“Yang?” She asked carefully. The blonde turned, surprised Blake was awake, but didn’t dwell on the fact for long. She rushed over and quickly pulled her partner into a tight hug.

“It wasn’t her.” She said in a trembling voice. “For a second I thought… I saw the hand and-“

“Wait, who are you looking for?” Blake questioned. Yang looked at her wide eyed trying to hold back tears.

“Ruby.” She stated. “Ruby and Zwei haven’t met up with anyone, which means they’re buried somewhere in that.” Yang gestured to the large pile of rubble. Blake’s heart immediately sank at the realization. 

Their friend was missing. Yang’s little sister was trapped somewhere under that mess and they’d already found at least one dead body in it. “Blake, what if she’s…” Yang stopped unsure if she could finish.

“She is probably fine.” A familiar voice stated. Blake looked over her shoulder seeing Weiss watching the two with Neptune close behind. The girl had a sling around her arm and was covered in enough filth to stain her dress a light brown. “She wouldn’t… fall to something like this. I survived buried in the rubble and she can too.”

“Y-Yeah.” Yang tried to reassure herself, though it obviously wasn’t working very well. “She’ll hang in there as long as we need. I’ll just have to speed this up!” 

“Yang, that isn’t what-“ The heiress cut off realizing she was being ignored. Yang was already tackling the rock pile with fresh vigour alongside the other workers. The two watched in silence, both frustrated that they couldn’t be of any use right now. It was hard enough trying to walk on an injured leg, much less lift rocks with one. She instead focused on flooding the area with aura hoping to speed up the healing process, though she knew it would take at least a day to heal damage like this.

“It’s hard to watch.” Sun mumbled. “We already tried helping with the dig but the authorities didn’t want students interfering until Beacon was notified.”

”Then why is she still digging?” Weiss asked annoyed with the news.

“I said this area is mine!” The group looked over seeing Yang threatening a few emergency responders that got too close. 

“She’s been… too difficult for the authorities to deal with.” Neptune conceded. “She won’t listen to the military or us, even with our junior detective status. We were hoping you two could talk some sense into her.” Blake looked between the two boys and her partner. She had never seen Yang act like this. Even when she herself was consumed with finding the White Fang, Yang acted as the team's rock bringing her back to reality. She had to do the same for her now. 

“We can try.” Blake finally said.

“I won’t make any promises though.” Weiss added. The heiress looked over to Blake expectantly. “Shall we?” The Faunus gave a small nod and the two slowly made their way over, Weiss being sure to go at the other’s pace. 

“Do you really mean that? About Ruby being okay?” Blake whispered. Weiss bit her lip unable to make eye contact.

“... one of us has to keep hoping.” The heiress finally breathed.

“That still doesn’t answer-“

“Halt!” An Atlesian soldier stated firmly. “No unauthorised personnel are allowed in this area. It’s too unstable.”

“We’re actually here to try talking our friend down.” Blake added pointing to Yang.

“We are her teammates.” Weiss added in an authoritative manner. “We know she’s not supposed to be over there. If you would allow us entry we can get her to leave.” The soldier looked between the two girls and the brawler weighing his options. It was obvious by his expression that he’d already given up on convincing her without more backup.

“Unfortunately, I can’t-“

“Damn it!” Yang shouted. Weiss and Blake peered around the man seeing their friend being pulled away from the site. Four responders were already around the find with another body bag ready. “They can’t all be dead!”

Weiss stepped ahead of Blake walking past the irritated soldier, quickly grabbing Yang’s shoulder. “Yang, please-“

“NO!” She pulled herself free before completely turning on Weiss. Her eyes were bright red as she stared daggers at the shorter girl. “Ruby is in that mess and neither of you are helping!”

“We aren’t supposed to be in this area!” Weiss snapped. “Please st-“

“It’s like neither of you care!” She screamed. 

“Yang!” Blake shouted defensively. “Are you listening to yourself?! Ruby is our friend too!”

“Then stop standing around and help!” 

“Hey now! Let’s keep this civil.” Neptune stepped in with a nervous grin.

“Yang, you really need to take a step back.” Sun stated firmly, only to shrink back when the brawler’s gaze turned to him. “L-look, Neptune and I don’t need to watch after Blake or Weiss anymore. We’ll help with digging right now.” The blonde huffed looking at her two teammates accusingly.

“At least somebody wants to help.” She spat before returning to the rubble. Yang started punching the larger rocks into pieces while Neptune gave the guard an apologetic shrug. The soldier just shook his head mumbling profanities while walking further away from the group.

“I’m sure she didn’t mean that.” Sun tried to reassure the two ladies. It didn’t help with the tension in Blake’s shoulders, nor the tight expression on Weiss’ face. “She knows you’re both injured.”

“I… I need to think.” The heiress turned away from the two and quickly walked to a more private location. Blake just put her weight on her good leg and continued watching Yang break the rocks apart. She smashed boulder after boulder into more manageable pieces while the responders continued digging at their own pace. 

Then the mountain started to shake. Neptune pulled Yang back as more of the tunnel began caving in and the rocks started shifting.

“NO!” Yang tried to rush forward but was stopped by a firm hand.

“Come with me Ms. Xiao Long.” A stern voice commanded. Glynda Goodwitch was finally on the scene along with Ozpin and Professor Port. She had a grip on Yang’s arm trying to keep her in place.

“But what about Ruby?!” Yang shouted. 

“I said come with me.” Glynda stated again. “You’re making things worse.”

“But I can’t leave her! You don’t understand!” 

“I do understand. Far better than you could imagine.” The Professor said a bit softer. “It’s why I need you to come with me. If you continue as is the cave-in might get worse.” Yang looked to her hands then back to the cave in dawning horror. She may have caused the second collapse. Ruby could be dead because of her and she would never know. Without another word she rushed into an alleyway out of everyone’s view. Glynda watched her thoughtfully before turning her focus to Blake.

“The faculty have been notified of the situation. Please go back to the emergency aid station.”

“What are you going to do about Ruby?” Blake asked first. Glynda inhaled deeply before pushing her glasses farther up her face.

“We will begin a rescue mission. I’m sure Doctor Oobleck is keeping her safe in the meantime. Mr. Wukong?” The monkey Faunus snapped to attention at her stern tone. “Please escort Miss Belladonna back to the aid station.”

“Yes ma’am.” Sun nodded. He ushered Blake toward the safe zone while Professor Goodwitch began assessing the damage. She used her semblance to fix the broken buildings with ease. However, when it came to the former tunnel she couldn’t help noticing how grim the woman’s expression became.

Blake bit her lip and looked forward. She had forgotten about Dr. Oobleck and she admittedly felt very guilty about that. She knew what usually happened during mine collapses. One of her childhood friends became an orphan after a Schnee dust mine caved in. Even for a huntsman the prospect of both surviving that crash on top of the cave in was slim to none. She looked up towards the sun, seeing a strange sight. Perched on a lamppost was a black bird with red eyes. It made eye contact for a moment, the two watching each other carefully. Suddenly it took off towards the mountains, leaving Blake staring off in confusion and worry. There was something off about that bird. She couldn’t put her finger on it, but it’s presence made her feel uneasy. Was it an omen?

“Is something wrong?” Sun asked worriedly.

“I-I don’t know.” Blake answered glancing back at the collapsed tunnel. “I think I need to sit down.”

“Oh! Sure thing.” Sun led her to an empty bench in the safe zone, having her sit before making sure her leg wasn’t hurting. “Do you want anything to drink or eat?” Blake places a hand to her empty stomach. If it wasn’t for the worry keeping her on edge she’d be starving. As it was she felt like a small snack would make her vomit.

“Some water would be great.” She smiled weakly. Sun nodded and rushed away, leaving Blake alone to her thoughts. She cradled her face in both hands and took a deep breath trying to calm her nerves. How could this be happening? They only wanted to stop Torchwick, and now look where that got them. This was all her fault. She should never have persued that criminal. If she hadn’t Ruby would still be safe.

“Greetings.” Blake perked up at the strange voice, looking up to see a beautiful woman in a red dress with glowing amber eyes.

“.... Hi.” The Faunus answered. She knew this was one of the visiting students from Haven, but she couldn’t remember her name. It’s not like they’d ever conversed before now or really even acknowledged each other for that matter.

“You’re Blake Belladonna of Team RWBY, correct?”

“Uhhh, yeah.” Blake answered awkwardly. “And you’re… from the combat class I’m in?” The woman chuckled a bit at Blake’s embarrassed blush. She usually didn’t fumble this badly in conversation, but something about this woman set her mind in an odd place. It wasn’t anger or panic plaguing her now. She just felt… off.

“You’re not wrong.” The woman grinned. “My name is Cinder Fall. I’m the leader of team CMSN from Haven.” She offered her hand for Blake to shake. The Faunus hesitantly shook it, not expecting the heat radiating through her body from the skin contact. She pulled away almost too quickly, really hoping Cinder would leave. “I apologize. I didn’t mean to bother you.”

“No, it’s not-“ Blake cut off when Cinder placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. That weird heat was radiating through her body again, and it made her whole body freeze.

“I just wanted to offer my condolences.” The Faunus tilted her head slightly in confusion. “I heard your team leader disappeared in the accident. My team and I will be offering our prayers to her safety, and we’ll help in the search efforts in any way we can.” Cinder finally pulled back letting Blake exhale a breath she didn’t realize she’d been holding. It took her scrambled brain a minute to think of a proper response. 

“T-thank you. Your… thoughts are appreciated.” Cinder gave a small smirk at the response, as if she was amused by the girl’s reactions.

“Of course. I mean, after hearing about the disappearance of that other team of freshman I just had to make sure you were alright.”

“A team disappeared?” Blake questioned. Cinder blinked at the response, almost acting surprised.

“You didn’t know? Team JNPR never returned to the dorms last night, nor did they report to their mission. I’m sorry, your teams were always so close to each other. I figured you’d be the first ones to hear the news.”

Blake went stiff. That couldn’t be right. If team JNPR was missing, than that meant Nora, Ren and Pyrrha were somewhere alone with Jaune. They were at the mercy of that monster and who knew what he would do to them. Before they had the protection of numbers in the school with the eyes of Ozpin and the other professors keeping watch. Now their whereabouts were unknown. If they were gone long enough to be considered missing…

“I didn’t mean to worry you further.” Cinder stated sympathetically. Her teammates approached shortly after, the one with green hair whispering something into Cinder’s ear. Blake looked directly at the silver haired boy, not liking the uneasy energy he radiated. It was different from Cinder, and even the green haired girl. It wasn’t an overly powerful energy, just something very uncomfortable.

“We’ll leave you and your… friend alone.” Cinder finally said. “Do take care now.” The group of three walked off as Sun approached. He was holding two water bottles and a bag of pretzels watching as the other team walked away.

“You know Cinder?” Sun asked while taking a seat next to her

“Not really, she’s in our combat class.” Blake questioned while Sun handed her a water bottle. “Wait, Do you know her?” 

“She came up and spoke to me shortly after Yang found you in the rubble. She asked if I knew anything about Team JNPR’s disappearance, but I haven’t seen them since yesterday at the mall.” He ate a handful of pretzels before continuing. “Maybe I’m crazy, but something about those three gives me a bad vibe.”

“What sort of bad vibe?” Blake questioned tensely. 

“Well, Mercury just gives me goosebumps, while the girls radiate an odd… power? It’s like a weird heat when I get too close. I know it’s crazy, but that's the best description I can give.” He looked at her suspiciously. “Why?”

“Nothing. It’s just…,” Blake took a deep breath looking back at the crash sight. Her dread was growing even more, and suddenly the odd bird from earlier seemed more than just a coincidence. This all had to be connected, she just didn’t understand how yet. “Your description isn’t all that crazy after all.”

XxxxxxxxxX

Jaune lay on the cold ground trying to get his bearings. Nothing was working right on top of the intense pain threatening to tear his body apart. He didn’t know how long it took before the constant ringing in his ears subsided, or for the horrible burning to finally dull into a rhythmic throb. Slowly he forced his eyes open only to see a slab of black above his face. Jaune tried lifting his arm, but was met with something cold and solid. There was a large slab of concrete dangerously close to crushing his upper body, precariously balanced on two large pipes keeping it a few inches from his face.

The Angel took several deep breaths and tried to call upon Beelzebul’s magic. Dark tendrils began building up around the sides of the block, lifting it up enough for Jaune to get his leg and hands under it. With a swift kick the rock flipped over, giving him enough room to crawl out. Sitting upright he felt his legs and torso with his hands, realizing how badly his clothes were shredded. Trying not to focus on the prospect of another shopping trip he decided to get a better look at the carnage. To say it was a wreck would be an understatement. The visible train cars looked like they’d been through a can opener, large strips of metal sticking out from the rock wall that was now blocking the way forwards. The wreck caused a bad cave in though his area was a bit too dark to see it all. Most of the tunnel lights were no longer working but he noticed some further back in the undamaged section of tunnel were still fine. That didn’t help much with illuminating his immediate area, especially with such a huge mess blocking the way. Sadly he wasn’t sure how the engine and front cars fared, or if he even managed to stop it from breaching.

Standing up he tried scanning the rubble for the familiar souls of his teammates. He could see five weaker lights buried deep in the rubble swiftly being snuffed out, but he didn’t know who they belonged to. He had the souls of his closer friends memorized, Blake and Weiss included, but he couldn’t find them anywhere. They may be too far out of his radar to be seen, or they were dead. For Ruby’s sake he prayed for the former.

He turned towards the tunnel scanning for more souls, seeing four very familiar ones within a close radius. His teammates were alive, and so was Ruby. He didn’t see Professor Oobleck though, which certainly wasn’t a good sign. If he was behind them then the Professor was either dead or he fell off the train much earlier on in the route. 

A bit of rock hit his head with a light thud. He glanced up at the ceiling seeing large cracks were still forming in the concrete above them. That couldn’t be good. If the structure was damaged too badly even more of the ceiling might fall, and he wasn’t sure if his friends would survive another cave in. He looked down to his blackened hand thoughtfully. There was no guarantee it would work, but perhaps he could use the demon to scout out the damage. He might be able to see how long they have until it really falls in, or how much force needed to be applied to make the cave in worse. The blonde kneeled down and placed his hand against the ground. Long black tendrils snaked into the cracks of rubble and spread through the area like tree roots. He focused his mind’s eye on each one as they traveled deeper and deeper through the blocked tunnel. It was bad, but not as dire as he first imagined. The ceiling would hold for now, as long as no major forces were applied to the walls at least. His humans should be safe.

Standing up Jaune turned around and saw the car under Beelzebul’s protection, the thing still covered in dark magic and pulsing a bit at how tightly Jaune had wrapped it. He waved his arm to dispell the shadows, three familiar forms falling from the tipped car. Nora gasped as soon as the darkness retracted, falling to the littered floor before clumsily scrambling to her feet. She glanced around quickly noticing Ren’s still form before anything else.

“REN?!” She rushed over to her partner’s side, helping him sit upright as the latter let out a pained groan. “Are you okay?!”

“That was a worse hit than I expected.” The ninja said softly while trying to crack the kinks from his neck. “I think I’ll live-” He was swiftly pulled into a tight hug by the bomber. Jaune decided to leave them be for now, instead focusing on his own partner. Pyrrha had slowly pulled herself into a sitting position while taking in the complete destruction around her.

“How are you feeling?” He asked while offering her a hand.

“I’ve certainly been better.” Pyrrha breathed gratefully taking his arm. He hoisted her upright only for the girl to start examine his clothes. “What about you?” She asked worriedly

“A bit banged up but I’ll live.” He motioned down to his clothing that spotted several new tears and a few blood splotches. “Apparently aura doesn’t protect well against a speeding train colliding with a wall followed by falling rocks.” His mind suddenly went to Ruby, who hadn’t had the protection of Beelzebul’s magic. Her soul was shining brightly last he checked but that didn’t mean she wasn’t injured.

“Did you really just flip the whole train?” Ren asked slowly getting to his feet.

“The back part of the train at least.” The blonde answered. “We can’t really see the rest of it sadly.” He motioned to the large wall of rubble sealing them inside. “Don’t hit the pile though. This section of tunnel is very unstable.”

“Awww, I was gonna bust a way through.” Nora sighed. Jaune gave her a deadpanned look not willing to entertain the idea.

“... just please don’t go near the wall-“

“Hello? Anyone there!” Everyone immediately looked farther back hearing Ruby’s voice. Pyrrha and Jaune both vaulted over several boulders before finally spotting the girl pinned under a sheet of metal. She was reaching desperately for her weapon currently half buried several feet out of arm's reach.

“Ruby!” Pyrhha used her semblance to remove the metal plate. The blonde couldn’t help sighing in relief. Despite some new tears in her stockings and what looked to be clotted blood around the holes her legs looked okay. “Are you alright?”

“Yeah.” Ruby looked down to her feet questioningly. “I mean, my legs were hurting really badly but they feel okay now.” She tested her knees and ankles before shrugging it off and getting to her feet. The reaper quickly grabbed her weapon, attempting to fold it up before realizing something was wrong. Turning it over she whimpered at seeing a large dent along the red casing of its blade. 

“That doesn’t look good.” Jaune commented. 

“It’s horrible!” Ruby exclaimed. “I can’t fold Crescent Rose into her compact state! I’m so sorry baby!” She started tearing up while cradling the massive thing close to her chest.

“We’ll fix it once we return to Beacon.” Pyrrha assured. “Are you still able to fire it?”

“I-I think so.” The girl sniffled.

“Now would be a good time to test it.” Ren stated quickly running up beside the three with Nora close behind. The group looked over seeing a horde of Grimm coming down the tunnel trapping them against the wall of stone. They had no choice but to fight. Jaune glanced back at the unstable ceiling nervous of what a serious fight could lead to.

“Try and keep the Grimm away from the walls. That ceiling can’t take much more.”

“You got it!” Nora grinned maniacally.

Ruby was first into the fray, using her semblance to leap into an oncoming group of Beowolves. She wrapped the blade of her scythe around an Alpha's neck, pulling the trigger on her weapon as the gun fired off with a loud bang. The creature was swiftly decapitated as she used the momentum to twirl into two smaller Beowolves. Meanwhile Nora provided cover with her grenade launcher so Pyrrha could charge forward. She threw her shield like a frisbee whacking several Grimm in their faces. The creatures were left stunned long enough for the red head to thrust her javelin through each one of them in a series of twirls and flips. She landed gracefully as several Grimm disintegrated around her. Ren jumped over her using several Ursai as platforms. He shot each one he made contact with trying to get their attention. The champion took advantage of their distraction. Never stopping her charge Pyrrha continued the onslaught into the confused hoard. 

Jaune looked around the group seeing a very large Ursa that managed to dodge one of Nora’s charges. It was heading directly for the cave in. He took the chance before it could get any closer. 

“Hey ugly! Behind you!” He yelled bolting towards the massive beast. The Ursa turned its head as it heard his shouts, quickly swiping a paw at the approaching form. Jaune whipped out his kite shield right as the massive claws made impact, connecting hard with the metal and sending him sideways a few feet. He managed to keep his footing, moving in close and slashing at the thing’s chest. He didn’t relent, swinging his sword and cutting up the beast as it screeched in pain. Finally the thing went silent, falling on its back and disintegrating into nothingness. He stood back taking several deep breaths. That was a first. He’d never taken on a Grimm that big without magic. Sadly he wasn’t able to relish the moment. Jaune turned around and ran for a small pack of nightstalkers trying dig their way through any cracks in the debris wall. The rock wall started to shift in a few places as the creatures dug, several more stones fell from the cracked ceiling making the blonde’s gut sink. They needed to be stopped. He managed to stab several of them with ease before noticing a large shadow forming behind him. He placed his blackened hand to the ground ready to impale the thing. Right as the tendrils began forming around the rocks a large pillar of flames overtook the attacker, followed by the cackling of a rather eccentric Professor as he brought his weapon down on the thing’s head. Jaune withdrew the dark magic and stood up into a proper fighting stance hoping the man didn’t notice. 

“Mr. Arc!” Professor Oobleck shouted as he jogged up to the blonde. “How did your team end up behind this massive debris wall? Weren’t you on a mission outside the kingdom?” 

“Sorry Professor-“

“Doctor.” The man corrected while slamming his bat into an approaching creeper. 

“... Doctor Oobleck.” Jaune added while driving his sword through another small deathstalker. “It’s a bit complicated. Let’s just say plans changed.” The doctor gave him a suspicious look before nodding.

“Very well. We shall talk about this after. There are other matters that need attending to.” The man turned to a king  
taijitu rearing both of its ugly heads. A pink blur of lighting intercepted the white snake, Nora appearing in a flash slamming her hammer down into its eye. The creature hissed in pain as the darker half aimed to bite her, only for Ren to run up its spine all the way to the back of its head. He drove the blades of his pistols into its skull and tried using them to steer the snake into a pack of oncoming Beowolves. 

The thing wouldn’t cooperate. It tried throwing the ninja off before bashing its head into the wall with a loud crash. The walls started shaking and the cracks in the ceiling grew larger.

“Whoops.” Ren breathed realizing what he’s done.

“We’ve gotta go!” Jaune shouted pulling Oobleck by the arm. The doctor looked up seeing the rocks starting to fall.

“STUDENTS! INTO THE TUNNEL!” The others heard Oobleck loud and clear. Nora and Ren ditched the king taijitu and booked it into the tunnel, Pyrrha and Ruby close behind. Most of the Grimm didn’t see the cave in, falling victim as the ceiling crumbled around them crushing the horde in its tracks. Everyone kept booking it as far as they could, dodging as many rocks as possible despite the path getting harder to navigate. Jaune growled and fell behind Oobleck so he wouldn’t see what he would do. He moved to the wall and dragged his hand against it.

“DON’T FALL BEHIND!” Oobleck grabbed his arm and yanked him forward before he could do anything.

“I’m right behind you!” Jaune defended.

“No, I’M behind you! Now run, OUR LIVES DEPEND ON IT!” Jaune internally cursed. Damn professor putting his stupid student first. 

With a long leap Jaune narrowly avoided the massive boulder, tumbling on his face as the mountain finally calmed. Nobody said anything, waiting for the ground to rumble once again. Only the movement never came. Jaune glanced up again realizing they finally found a series of support beams that actually held. He could see a beam along the wall buckling but the tunnel appeared more stable then the last section did.

“I-is it over?” Ruby breathed.

“... Yes students. I think it’s finally safe to rest.” Dr. Oobleck decided. Everyone let out a collectively held breath, both Ruby and Ren collapsing to the floor while Pyrrha found a wall to lean against. 

“That. Was. WILD!” Nora squealed after catching her breath. “Can we do that again?”

“NO!” Everyone else said in unison. Honestly Jaune was just happy the group survived without Beelzebul’s assistance. Unfortunately Dr. Oobleck’s presence meant that he had to be very careful about using it. The Professor worked for Ozpin and he still didn’t know who his loyalties belonged to. 

Jaune rolled onto his back taking in a deep breath, nor expecting the massive pinching force now encompassing his ankle. He jolted upright seeing a familiar corgi latched onto his leg. 

“Zwei!” Ruby shot up and wrestled her dog free. “I’m so glad you’re alive!” She cheered senior spinning around in circles. “But we don’t bite friends! I told you that already!”

“It seems that dog really doesn’t like you.” Oobleck commented while scratching his chin.

“Believe me when I say it’s a common reaction among his kind.” Jaune sighed. Oobleck didn’t respond to that, instead giving him a strange look. Pyrrha decided to break the awkward silence.

“So, what should we do now Professor-“

“Doctor.” 

“Sorry.” Pyrrha said apologetically. “What do we do now Doctor Oobleck?”

“Well, seeing as we have no signal down here it’s impossible to call for help, though we may have a better chance of success if we locate one of the new holes in the tunnel.” Oobleck explained. 

“So we’ll probably have a lot more Grimm to fight through.” Ren breathed.

“Most likely. Luckily we don’t need to worry about the horde entering the city. With the tunnel sealed they should be trapped between here and Mount Glenn.” Nora was about to say something before coming to a realization. She lowered her hand and started twiddling with her fingers.

“What is it Nora?” Ren questioned at his partners sheepish behavior.

“Soooo, remember how, when we were looking for the train, Jaune asked me to make a hole between the subway tunnels so we could get through?” Ren paused as realization slowly set in. Jaune and Pyrrha gave each other a horrified look while Ruby just looked between the three confused.

“I don’t understand. What’s wrong?” The reaper questioned.

“If what Ms. Valkyrie says is true, then there is now a way for the Grimm to enter between this subway tunnel and the city.” Oobleck explained. “If we don’t close that hole and track down the intruding Grimm, then I fear what would happen if they manage to breach the surface.”

“So you're saying we need to do a lot more backtracking.” Ren sighed with fresh exhaustion. Pyrrha put a reassuring hand on his shoulder while Nora just groaned in annoyance.

“I don’t wanna!” She cried.

“Cheer up gang! It isn’t that bad.” Ruby smiled hoping to lighten the mood. “It will be good exercise.”

“But you didn’t have to walk to Mount Glenn!” Nora huffed. “Do you know how long we’ve been underground? Like, eleven hours! That’s eleven hours too many!” 

“Ohhhh.” Ruby rubbed the back of her head before looking to Jaune for backup. Zwei was currently digging his teeth deep into the blonde’s leg, and he was currently too tired to fight back.

“I vote we just get moving.” Jaune nodded. “The sooner we seal this hole the sooner we can get out of here.”

“Great attitude Mr. Arc.” Oobleck commented taking the lead point in the group. “Everyone get up and let’s go.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta read by Maldevinine. Always happy to work with them.
> 
> Oh boy! Cinder is sticking her nose where it doesn’t belong, Blake is confused as it’s super effective, team WBY is in shambles, Jaune now has a permanent migraine to accompany his chewed up ankle, and Nora’s destructive habits are rubbing off on Ren.
> 
> Im sure or will be nothing but smooth sailing from here...
> 
> Feedback is always appreciated!


	19. Far From Home

Blake spent the morning with Sun, watching as Professor Goodwitch worked alongside the first responders in her attempts to repair the cave in. If it had just been a wall collapse she could have fixed it easily, but due to the complexity of the damage and how unstable it was, work was going very slowly. It had already been two hours and she hadn’t made much progress. If it weren’t for the recovery efforts perhaps it would have been faster. The emergency crew had only found two surviving White Fang members in critical condition, as well as an injured Torchwick. The criminal was being escorted to hospital by Atlesian soldiers, while the death toll of everyone else on board continued to rise. 

“Hello Ms. Belladonna.” Blake snapped to attention at hearing the familiar voice.

“Professor Ozpin.” She responded. Sun looked up and tried to smile despite his worry.

“Are you here to question us too?” He asked.

“Not right now, I already have the reports gathered from earlier.” His face suddenly softened, and though his expression barely changed Blake could see the guilt behind his gaze. “I was just coming to see how you were doing.” 

“Let’s see. Ruby is still buried in that mess, Weiss and Yang are worried sick, and my friends from team JNPR have been declared missing.” She looked up to him with a narrowed gaze. “Yeah, I’m doing just fine.” Ozpin’s eyes widened for a moment when she mentioned team JNPR, though his expression quickly returned to neutral. 

“I understand your frustration. We are doing everything in our power to resolve both situations.”

“Well you’re not working fast enough!” Blake said far louder then she intended. Ozpin seemed to ponder her statement before sighing.

“As I said we're doing what we can, but if you would like to help speed things along volunteers are currently needed to help with moving the… remains of those killed in the crash.” He began to walk away before stopping. “Or perhaps there is something else you could do. With this disaster, resources to look for our missing team members are limited. It would be fantastic if someone were willing to help investigate.”

“Wait. You mean you need detectives?” Sun asked with fresh excitement.

“I need people willing to assist in solving both issues.” Ozpin smirked knowingly. “If you would like to help with either one it would certainly be appreciated.”

“Right! The Junior Detectives won’t let you down.” The Faunus saluted eagerly.

“I’m sure you won’t.” The Professor smiled. “One more thing. All four of their lockers had been deployed last night, the coordinates being in the southern part of the Industrial District. If you’re careful that may be a good place to check.”

“We will!” Sun gave a thumbs up as Ozpin left to join Ironwood. “I have to find Neptune! Wait right here.” The thief was off before Blake could even respond. She sighed tiredly before moving to stand. Lifting her injured leg sideways she tried testing her healing efforts before fully standing. It seemed stiff but otherwise fine. As long as she didn’t do anything too strenuous it would be fine.

“What’s going on?” Neptune asked while Sun dragged him over to Blake. He nearly toppled over when the monkey Faunus abruptly stopped.

“Ozpin said he needs the Junior Detectives to solve a mystery.”

“Wait, really?” Neptune asked with a raised brow. Sun just nodded harder.

“Our friends are in danger and we’re the only ones that can find them! Are you with me?!”

“Would you two take this seriously!” Blake growled before Neptune could answer. The two boys flinched back at her sudden anger and stayed silent. She took a deep calming breath before continuing. “Look, we don’t even know where to start searching. Other then the lockers being sent off last night. It must have been ten to twelve hours since then, so the team might not be there anymore. And what about Yang and Weiss? I can’t just leave them.”

“But they don't even want company.” Neptune said while rubbing the back of his neck. “I tried talking to Weiss but she blew me off, and Yang’s still trying to call Ruby.”

“And you haven’t really tried talking to either of them since Yang and Weiss’ argument.” Sun added sheepishly only to grin apologetically at her hard glare. “I don’t want to just sit here and do nothing anymore. Besides, Ozpin needs us to find team JNPR, and we were some of the last known people to speak with them.” Sun added hastily. Blake’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Wait, seriously?” She questioned.

“Well, at least I know I’ve seen the girl Jaune was talking to before.” Sun looked over towards Neptune questioningly. “When Yang and I went searching for intel around Vale, we stopped at a nightclub and I saw the girl in the white dress there. I think she had a sister too.”

“So we actually have a lead here.” Blake pondered. She felt this need to do something as well, even if it was only something small. If she couldn’t do anything to help Ruby then maybe she could at least help Ren, Nora and Pyrrha before Jaune did anything bad to them. But she couldn’t just leave Yang alone, even if the brawler didn’t want her company.

“I need to talk to Weiss before leaving.” The cat Faunus insisted.

“Sure thing, she was hanging around the dust shop last I checked.” Neptune led the way through the crowds of people. She wasn’t in an obvious spot, instead pacing in a small alleyway next to the building. She was currently biting her thumbnail and trying to hold her worry back.

“Weiss, can we talk?” Blake asked walking closer.

“What?” The heiress growled, though she sounded more sad than angry. She was keeping her emotions hidden well behind a straight face, but her voice betrayed the concern she was feeling. 

“Team JNPR went missing last night.” Blake stated. Weiss’ eyes widened for a moment before they quickly narrowed. 

“I hadn’t heard, though I find it hard to focus on that currently. Ruby hasn’t been found yet.” 

“I know, and Yang isn’t handling the situation any better.” Blake looked to the ground a bit ashamed. “But there is something I can do now, for team JNPR at least.”

“So tell me why you believe that? And why are you so desperate?” Weiss asked. Blake hesitated for a moment. She didn’t know if it was really true or not, but she just had a gut feeling.

“I-I think Jaune might have done something to his teammates. If he hasn’t yet he’s going to do something bad and he needs to be stopped.”

“You really think Jaune might have something to do with this?” Weiss asked sceptically. “I mean, I don’t trust him either, but the… idiot has been rather protective of his teammates. Especially after the whole dance fiasco last night. The thought of him directly harming them seems unlikely.”

“I think he may have something to do with the accident too. I don’t know how, but the timing of their vanishing and this whole mess is very suspicious.” Blake argued.

“Why would Jaune be involved in their disappearances? The guy’s harmless.” Sun questioned. 

“His entire team was having a fun time in Vale yesterday. There’s no way they could get to Mount Glenn without a bullhead.” Neptune added. Blake turned away biting her lip. Could she say Jaune was a literal monster without sounding like a complete lunatic? She didn’t think Sun would believe that. The cat Faunus couldn’t even prove that he’d actually done anything wrong at this point, it was all based on that awful feeling he gave her. Still, she couldn’t completely leave Sun in the dark if he was going to help her.

“All I can say is he’s not as innocent as he seems.” Blake tried dancing around the truth. “I know it sounds crazy but he’s really dangerous. If we don’t do something now I really think the worst will happen. Even more terrible than this mess.” She gestured towards the wreck sight. Blake noticed team CFVY had finally arrived on the scene and were currently trying to disperse the worried civilians with little success. No one else paid them any mind, instead staring at Blake in both concern and confusion. Neptune and Sun looked at her sceptically, the two unsure what to think. She turned her attention to the white haired girl.

“You… actually believe he’ll end up killing them.” Weiss breathed. She seemed far more convinced herself, but instead of eagerly joining she looked over towards a familiar blonde rushing up to Ms. Goodwitch. Yang was questioning the professor, but clearly didn’t get the answers she'd hoped for. The brawler returned to her spot far out of everyone’s way and continued to wait. “I don’t think Yang would be interested in joining the search though.”

“That’s the problem. I don’t want to leave her alone, but if I don’t go now Pyrrha, Ren and Nora could be in serious danger.” The heiress looked between Blake and their anxious teammate.

“I’ll stay here.” Weiss stated resolutely.

“Are you sure? After what she said earlier-“

“Please.” Weiss waved off the Faunus’ concerns. “I plan to take over the SDC someday. Do you really think such trivial words would faze me.” She took in a long breath before giving a confident nod. “Look, in all honesty I’m not sure where you’re going with this, or what proof you even have to support your theory. Despite making little sense you clearly feel this is important enough to pursue even with our teammate still missing. So hurry up before I change my mind.” The cat Faunus blinked before giving her a small smile.

“Thanks Weiss, I owe you one.” The heiress scoffed at her soft words before turning towards Yang.

“Just message me if you find anything. I’ll do the same if Ruby is found.” Blake nodded, turning to the two boys.

“Alright Neptune, lead the way.” The teen smiled before looking to Sun with a big grin.

“Junior detectives, roll out!” The two bolted down the street while Blake could only shake her head and follow. She hoped the two would take this thing seriously, but her warning clearly had zero effect on them. She could only pray that they would find their missing friends before the worst happened, though she couldn’t shake the sinking feeling in her gut. 

Something bad was going to happen, and she didn’t know if they could stop it.

XxxxxxxxxX

“And you’re sure about this?” Blake asked Neptune upon seeing the building. It was already in a shady section of town, and the club clearly had a red ‘Closed’ sign on the front door.

“Trust us Blake, we’re Junior Detectives after all.” Sun said confidently. “Neptune remembered that the girl Jaune was talking to worked here.”

“And if she really was the last person to speak with him, then she might have some idea of where his team went.” Neptune finished.

“I think we came at a bad time though. How can we speak to her if the club is closed?” 

“Simple, we knock on the door, present our badges, and bam! Instant access.” Neptune explained.

“Wait, isn’t that the girl?” Sun asked. The two looked over seeing a well dressed woman in her late teens. She had black leggings on and a low cut tunic that showed off most of her back. A large bag was slung over her shoulder and she appeared to be in a foul mood.

Neptune and Sun looked to each other knowingly. “We’ll handle this one. You just hang back and wait.”

“Hold on, that isn’t-“ She stopped when the boys suddenly rushed out of cover and towards the stranger. They got on either side of her while she was locking up. 

“Excuse me citizen!” Sun announced. “We are the Junior Detectives, assigned to investigate a disappearance. Could we ask you a few questions?”

“Not interested. I’m a very busy person.” The girl in red stated.

“Sorry but we really need-“

“You really need to leave!” The girl waved Sun back before trying to step past him, only for Neptune to block her path.

“You can’t blow off the junior detectives! This is a very urgent matter and we don’t have time to wait!” Neptune added. The girl finally took a good look at the two, seeming to remember the blue haired one.

“Weren’t you the one with that blonde bimbo?” She asked with a raised brow.

“Uhhh… Yeah, but we’re the ones asking the questions here!” Neptune corrected quickly. “We’re searching for a few friends of ours. They attend Beacon Academy, known as Team JNPR. Ring any bells?”

“Can’t say that it does. Maybe for a little compensation I could help you out. Otherwise you’re on your own.”

“Really?” Sun stated while trying to take a small step back from her. “Because I saw you talking to a fellow known as Jaune Arc in the mall yesterday. How do you explain that?!” The girl huffed in annoyance..

“I think you mean my sister. I personally don’t care for this ‘Jaune’ nor have I seen him today. Now if you’ll excuse me I have places to be.” She shoved her way past the boys with a huff.

“Wait!” Blake called after her. The cat Faunus stepped out of her hiding spot and confronted the agitated teen. The dark haired girl stopped and looked in her direction. “Please, my friends are in danger. If I don’t find them soon it might be too late. Are you sure you don’t know anything?” The woman looked at her thoughtfully, debating what she should say next.

“Sorry, but I can't help you. Besides, it’s best to keep yourselves out of problems that don’t concern you.”

“What is that supposed to mean?” Blake questioned with narrowed eyes.

“It means I have a boss to meet up with and some idiots to take care of, and you need to check for your friends elsewhere.” The girl spun on her heels and left the three huntsmen in training.

“Well… that could have gone better.” Sun sighed.

“I wonder why she wasn’t with her sister.” Neptune thought aloud. “They seemed pretty inseparable last I saw them. Well, when I was with Yang at least.”

“Well, they are their own people. Everyone needs alone time now and then.” Sun added. Blake ignored them, watching the girl as she turned down a side street.

“We need to follow her. Come on.” Blake ordered. The two tailed close behind as they turned down the same street, only to find a pigeon instead of the woman. It was taking off into the sky, quickly flying over the sea of building and out of sight.

“Where did she go?” Neptune scratched his head while Sun ran up a rusty fire escape on one of the buildings. He checked every corner hoping to find the girl somewhere down below. Instead he returned looking both confused and disappointed.

“It’s like she vanished or something.” Sun said. “I didn’t see her anywhere.”

“So basically this whole thing was a bust.” Neptune sighed. “What should we do next Blake?” The Faunus rubbed her chin thoughtfully. That girl was far too suspicious, and how could she vanish like that? Even Blake herself wasn’t that quick, and her talent for sneaking was unmatched by anyone else in the White Fang. And why was she in such a hurry? Maybe if Neptune and Sun were real police officers she would have stayed, but they weren't and the woman got away. That only left them with one real option at this point.

“Let’s check out the Industrial District. If the team had to call their lockers, then they might have encountered more than they could handle.”

“Yeah, that’s probably the next best option.” Sun sighed. “I just wish our lead had actually gone somewhere.” He looked over to Blake questioningly. “Did you feel that strange energy from her? It was similar to how Cinder and her group felt.”

“I didn’t.” Blake shook her head. 

“I have no clue what you’re talking about man.” Neptune answered rather confused. Sun seemed to contemplate both of their statements before shrugging.

“It must have been my imagination then.” Blake looked off thoughtfully. No, she didn’t feel anything off about her, but she didn’t notice anything weird about Cinder until the woman was right in front of her. She didn’t get very close to the one in red, so maybe that was why? Or maybe they were all genuinely going crazy.

“We should go now. The school won’t make a broadcast about their disappearance for a few hours still, and I don’t know how the citizens will react to an entire team vanishing right after that train incident.”

“Yeah, you’ve got a point.” Sun agreed. “Come on gang, we’re headed north.”

XxxxxxxxxX

“I spy with my little eye something… yellow.”

“It’s Jaune.” Ren stated for the sixth time much to Nora’s chagrin. The group had spent several hours backtracking up the railway tunnel already, everyone walking in a group except for Jaune. He took the rear position since Zwei wouldn’t stop growling unless he was at least five yards away from Ruby. Pyrrha really wished the reaper had never brought that corgi. Oobleck was clearly suspicious regarding the dog's aggressive behavior towards a student, much less a close friend of Zwei’s owner. So far he hadn’t tried questioning Jaune too much thankfully. The blonde even managed to keep his blackened hand hidden in his jacket pocket, and either Oobleck hadn’t noticed yet or chose not to comment so far. Oddly enough the energetic professor had kept mostly quiet throughout the journey, helping to take out any Grimm the group encountered along the way.

“Well fine smarty pants!” Nora huffed. “Why don’t you take a turn.”

“Alright. I spy with my little eye something green.” 

“It’s you!” Nora shouted smugly.

“Nope.” Ren shook his head.

“What?!”

“Is it Oobleck?” Ruby asked while hoisting her weapon over the other shoulder. 

“Yes it is.” The ninja nodded.

“Fine! Since you’re both so good at this game, I’ll pick something REALLY tricky!” Nora looked around the tunnel swiftly before raising her hand in triumph. “I spy with my little eye-“

“Another creeper.” Jaune stated dryly.

“No! And I didn’t even say my hint yet.” Nora turned to him annoyed.

“No, I mean there is a creeper up ahead.” Jaune pointed forward. Ruby and Pyrrha glanced around before spotting the small thing several hundred yards ahead of them. The reaper moved quicker, swinging her scythe into a better position before firing and taking the creature down in one hit.

“Nice shot Ruby.” Pyrrha said putting her own weapon away. 

“Thanks.” She smiled swinging the massive thing over her shoulder again. “Though it would be great if I could fold this thing up. Crescent Rose is a bit awkward to carry around like this all the time.”

“We’ll fix it once this mission is done.” Pyrrha reminded her. “I’m glad you’re still able to fight with it at least.”

“That’s a good point.” Ruby nodded. “I’ll have to make her frame sturdier though. The question is what type of metal should I use instead-“

“Sorry to change the subject, but our Grimm encounters have become rather sparse.” Ren added thoughtfully. “That was the only one we’ve seen for quite a while, to the point that we let our guard down.”

“Yes, I was just thinking about that.” Oobleck added. “It truly makes little sense. We’ve passed many holes in the ceiling already.”

“Maybe we took care of this area’s Grimm earlier?” Pyrrha suggested. “We did bury a very large horde under that cave in. Perhaps any other Grimm would have to travel farther to get here?” 

“That is a decent point.” The Doctor commented. “Still, the Grimm have had several hours already to congregate around these breaches. The fact that those explosions were so loud means Grimm should have heard it for miles around.”

“Maybe they just didn’t feel like it?” Nora tried.

“Perhaps. Still, keep a close eye out for more just in case.” The Professor finished and went back to that unusual silence. He was checking his scroll again for service, at least enough to send a distress beacon. The shake of his head indicated they were still out of luck. 

Pyrrha bit her lip debating what she should do. She honestly had a few questions for him but wasn’t really sure how to ask, or if he’d even have the answers. Still, it was better to ask then never know at all. That’s how she finally justified it at least.

“Doctor Oobleck, Do you mind if I ask you something?” Pyrrha questioned.

“Certainly Miss Nikos. What’s on your mind?”

“I just had a question regarding something we stumbled upon earlier.” She glanced to her teammates rather uncomfortably. Ruby looked to the redhead questioningly, but Jaune just gave her a shake of his head indicating she should stay quiet. The reaper shut her mouth and waited. “So, when we were walking through the subway earlier, the four of us found a closed off station. It was called N. Schnee Station.”

“You did, did you?” Oobleck pondered knowingly. “And what did you see there?”

“Horrible things! There were bars separating the platform and a hose on the Faunus side. How is that a drinking fountain!?” Nora exclaimed. “They didn’t let the Faunus near the human passengers.”

“Not to mention the bodies.” Ren added absently. “There were three Faunus skeletons murdered on the spot.”

“Wait, dead bodies?” Ruby asked with fresh shock. “We didn’t see anything like that in Mount Glenn. Other then that stray dog it was all just destroyed buildings.”

“The remains in the fallen city were exposed to the elements and scavengers. I don’t recall seeing any strays, but a dog would count as a scavenger.” Oobleck said. 

“But it was following us! How could you guys not notice a thing that big?!”

“A big black dog?” Ren questioned. He scratched his chin thoughtfully while mumbling under his breath, though it wasn’t loud enough for Pyrrha to hear. 

“Yeah! It was a really huge black dog. And I swear it had glowing red eyes but no Grimm mask. I pointed it out but no one else acknowledged the thing!”

“You most likely mistook a small Beowulf for a dog, it happens to the best huntsmen on occasion.” Oobleck continued much to Ruby’s annoyance. 

“At least Blake believed me.” She huffed. The Professor just ignored her and continued.

“Nevertheless, Mount Glenn was founded a decade after the Faunus Wars, so many of the integration laws were being enforced. No signs or gates separating society were allowed.”

“Integration laws?” Nora asked questioningly.

“But you never taught us about this in class.” Pyrrha stated.

“It’s not something I’m allowed to teach.” Doctor Oobleck said with clear frustration. “But I suppose since you’ve already seen the evidence for yourselves I could tell you a bit more.” He looked to them very critically. “As long as you don’t say it came from me.” The students looked to each other completely baffled. Oobleck loved teaching people history, so the fact he was being so weird about this made them all a bit nervous.

“We promise.” Ruby nodded. The others quickly agreed, watching the doctor closely. He eventually took a deep breath before starting.

“You see students, before the Faunus War racism against Faunus was reaching outrageous levels. It was clear there was unrest amongst the Faunus populations in major cities especially, and the fear of rebellion was growing rapidly. The Councils of Vale, Atlas and Mistral all instituted new policies that promised to make Faunus and Humans equal with humans under the law. Sadly there was one catch. The Faunus would be ‘treated as equals’ though forced to stay separate from human society. The ‘Separate but Equal’ policies if you will.”

“That doesn’t make any sense.” Ruby tilted her head in confusion. “How can you be separate but equal?”

“That’s the thing Miss Rose. It isn’t possible, but it did cause the implementation of quite a few sorry practices around Vale. One of them being the subway station you four saw earlier. Before that Faunus weren’t allowed to use any form of public transportation, or even enter most parts of the city. Now they could as long as they were separated from the human population in some form.” He paused for a moment trying to decide if he should continue or not. “With the new hope for social improvement the Faunus took up a rather barbaric practice amongst their own kind.

“What was it?” Ren asked picking up on his hesitation.

“Before The Faunus War, violence against Faunus became so bad that parents would often dock the ears and tails off their offspring. Though the practice is taboo now, it had become rather common after those laws were enacted.”

“That’s awful!” Nora shouted. “How could they do something so cruel?”

“The object of racism was very localized, meaning the parts holding them back could easily be removed. It was sadly a matter of necessity-” Oobleck continued his lecture while Pyrrha tried to gauge her partner’s reaction to this news. He still hadn’t said anything since this whole topic was brought up, and she felt he would have something to add. Instead Jaune looked at the tunnel walls deep in thought. Pyrrha fell back to walk alongside her partner.

“What’s the matter?” She asked quietly. Jaune looked at her debating what to say next.

“”It’s just… the whole ‘separate but equal’ thing sounds extremely familiar and I’m not sure why.”

“Perhaps you read about it at some point after coming here?” She suggested.

“Maybe…” Jaune trailed off. Pyrrha was about to continue before Oobleck’s voice brought her back to the other conversation.

“You are also right Miss Valkyrie, but fear and tradition are very powerful tools, and both are difficult to break through. That is why, when plans were made to send all Faunus to Menagerie and separate them entirely from the humans, that was the last straw. Shortly thereafter the Faunus War began.”

“I’ve never heard about any of this!” Ruby exclaimed. “Why couldn’t you tell us?”

“When the war finally ended, the Council of Vale was forced to do away with those segregation policies. To avoid any backlash, they also enforced a gag order over the entire city, one that even Ozpin couldn’t combat. Anyone that publicly shared this information would meet severe fines and jail time. Though I’ve fought against this decision myself, my licence as a teacher and Huntsman have been jeopardized more than once.” He looked ahead thoughtfully. “I haven’t tried since they nearly shut Beacon down.”

“That’s insane!” Ruby shouted.

“They can’t just shut down Beacon for something so stupid!” Nora continued.

“They’ve done so with other schools in the past believe it or not. You should see how bad it is in Atlas.” Oobleck shook his head before pointing out another creeper. Ren pulled his pistols out and shot the thing into oblivion. The doctor continued talking without missing a beat. “It’s not the first time gag orders have been implemented either.”

“What about religion?” Jaune interrupted. His eyes narrowed with a new thought forming. Oobleck looked back to him seemingly surprised.

“Yes, that is another topic I am prohibited from teaching.” The doctor stated. “That was very perceptive Mr. Arc. Does the subject hold interest to you?”

“You could say that.” Jaune replied. “I just noticed the lack of temples in the city. Not to mention how little the Beacon library actually includes on the subject.” 

“You can thank The Great War for that. Quite a bit of fighting was caused by religious differences and corruption within the churches, though we don’t talk about that part of history. Religious practices have been banned from the city for nearly one hundred years at this point. Living without it is just a common fact of life here.” Jaune paused after Oobleck finished, thinking hard on his statement.

“That’s… insane.” Jaune murmured. Pyrrha looked at him questioningly but the blonde didn’t seem keen on elaborating. “Still, is there anyway to learn about these old religions?”

“Sadly even my knowledge is lacking in this particular subject, so I can’t provide much information. However, if you truly wish to pursue this I’d recommend searching outside of the kingdoms. The rural villages across the countryside are more likely to still practice these faiths in general. Even some historical text may survive out there. You’ll have better luck doing that then searching the library.”

Jaune gave a curt nod of understanding. He clearly wasn’t happy with the news, though he took in a deep breath trying to calm himself anyway. “Thank you, I’ll… take what you said to heart.”

“Of course!” Oobleck said in a more energetic tone. “I am always happy to share knowledge with the next generation. If you have anymore questions let me know.”

“Right.” Jaune said before falling quiet. The group continued walking for another hour in relative silence. Nora tried to pull Ren and Ruby into more games while Pyrrha continued beside Jaune. He seemed rather agitated and she had no idea why. Was it the travel games? Or perhaps the information he gathered from Oobleck was giving him trouble? It was hard to tell without prying. 

Without warning Jaune’s expression changed from contemplative to shocked. He swiftly glanced around the breach they were passing, both of his fists clenched tightly. Pyrrha looked up to the hole as well, unable to see anything except a cloudy sky high above them.

“Jaune? What’s wrong?“

“We’re being followed.” The blonde murmured. That shut Pyrrha up immediately. She glanced around the tunnel again still unable to see anything.

“Who’s following us?” Pyrrha whispered back. Initially she wasn’t sure why Jaune kept his voice so low, but the prospect of it being something celestial seemed far more likely now.

“Raphael.” He answered motioning up towards the ceiling of the subway. “He’s tracking us from above ground. I caught a glimpse of his soul when we passed that ceiling breach, and I don’t know what he’s planning.” Pyrrha nodded, now starting to feel fidgety herself. 

“What should we do?” She asked next. He thought for a moment before looking over to Ren.

“Have Ren announce that he senses a presence nearby. All we can do is have everyone on guard at this stage.” She gave a quick nod of understanding before walking up to her other teammates. This could be very bad. Jaune said earlier that he still didn’t know whose side Raphael was on. He could be here to help Jaune against Uriel, or this might be a trap meant to get him away from the city so they could fight. She really hoped for the former, but at this point she really doubted it. Pyrrha was about to tap Ren’s shoulder before Nora gasped in excitement. 

“I see our lantern!” She rushed forward, excitedly picking up the object in question. The light was still on and it looked like it hadn’t moved since they left it. “The hole should be around… here?” The bomber’s smile quickly fell. “But it should be here.” 

The group walked up behind her, hoping to get a glimpse of what had her so baffled. What surprised Pyrrha was the lack of anything to view.

The hole was gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you Maldevinine from AO3 for beta reading this chapter. Seriously check their stuff out if you need more of a RWBY fix.
> 
> IMPORTANT: This story has become quite popular on FF.net, so I will pose the same question I asked over on that site. I want to celebrate in some way, and decided to ask what you the readers would like to see. 
> 
> There are many little sections of this story that I wrote up and that never made it into the final story. Some of it is fluff that didn’t fit while others were plot points that never came to fruition. Would you guys like a bonus chapter after the subway arc that includes some of the sections that didn’t make it in? Or would you rather I just continue and not bother?
> 
> Let me know what you guys would like me to do!


	20. Brothers in Arms Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Angels collide in a grand battle underground and the humans on the team are trapped in the middle. Who will make it out alive?

The group just stared at the wall quietly. No one on team JNPR had an explanation. This was definitely where the hole had been, so why was it gone now?

“This doesn’t make any sense.” Ren murmured. Pyrrha couldn’t make sense of it either. Other than a section of bricks that looked a bit cleaner than the rest it appeared like a normal wall. A perfectly normal wall not touched by Nora.

“Maybe you guys walked away from the hole before boarding the train?” Ruby suggested. Ren just shook his head.

“No, we only took a few steps in before seeing the train. And that looks exactly like our lantern.”

The Professor pondered his statement before turning to the young reaper. “Ms. Rose, could you scout up ahead? Make sure the hole isn’t farther down.”

“Yes sir!” The reaper secured her weapon in both hands and sprinted forward using her semblance. Despite the awkward hold hindering her speed she managed to travel quickly in a flurry of rose petals.

“This doesn’t seem right.” Pyrrha commented. She looked over towards her partner when he didn’t respond, seeing the blonde had approached the cleaner section of tunnel. He was looking closely at the brick work, scratching it with his nail and knocking on it a few times. 

“What are you doing?” She questioned. 

“Trying to figure out why this section is different.” He said rubbing some of the flaked grit between his fingers. “I really don’t think Ruby will find the hole up ahead.”

“And why is that Mr. Arc?” The Angel stiffened at hearing Oobleck’s voice, apparently forgetting the Professor was with them. He turned to the man but wasn’t eager to make eye contact.

“I believe this was our hole, but… someone has already filled it in.” 

“But there isn’t any wet mortar.” Pyrrha commented absently. The jagged edges on the old and new brick looked bonded together in all honesty.

“That’s the problem.” Jaune responded. Pyrrha looked up at him with dawning realization. Someone had either used their semblance to merge the bricks back together, or an otherworldly force did it. Unfortunately she really didn’t think Glynda beat them here.

“That’s highly unlikely.” The Professor argued. “I’ve never met anyone with a semblance like Ms. Goodwitch. I don’t see how else this could have been sealed.” Jaune didn’t respond, looking back up to the breach above and scanning the sky.

“Guys!” A flurry of rose petals marked Ruby’s return from her scouting mission, though she looked more frantic than anything. “There’s a kid up ahead!”

“A kid?” Jaune asked perplexed. “Are you sure?”

“Yes! He was crying but he wouldn’t let me near him. I didn’t know what else to do.”

“Now why would a child be all the way out here?” Oobleck pondered. “That’s very odd.”

“He looked like a Faunus, maybe his parents were on the train?” The reaper suggested. Oobleck took a moment to roll the thought around before nodding. 

“Either way, we certainly can’t abandon a child in this Grimm infested tunnel. Lead the way Ms. Rose!” Ruby, Oobleck and Zwei all rushed down the tunnel while Ren and Nora quickly congregated around Jaune and Pyrrha.

“You didn’t say there was another person up ahead.” Nora said. 

“That’s because there isn’t.” Jaune murmured. His gaze was firm though the tightness of his mouth betrayed his concern. “This was a trap, and it wasn’t meant for you guys.”

“You mean there are Angels nearby?” Ren hissed.

“Yes, I was trying to tell you when we came upon the lantern.” Pyrrha added in Jaune’s defense.

“So will you use your Angel powers now?” Nora questioned clearly excited by the prospect.

“And how would I explain that to Oobleck? He’d probably think I’m some new species of Grimm or something.”

“If we all get killed then it won’t matter.” Ren stated. “You went through the trouble of showing us why fighting them is so useless, but you won’t stand up to another one when needed?”

“It’s more complicated than that.” Jaune growled. “If I’m the target then escalating things would be very bad for you guys. I have to try reasoning with them first.”

“Do you really think that would work?” Nora questioned.

“I… as long as I’m not aggressive.”

“That’s not reassuring.” Ren deadpanned.

“Well he’s kind of an Archangel like I was, and he’s not really the type to resort to violence as a first option. I think he’ll back off if I’m compliant.”

“You think or you know?” Ren growled back.

“It worked with Raguel and Sariel.” He argued, though his confidence was waning. 

“You didn’t answer my question.”

“Is there anything else we can do then?” Pyrrha interrupted. “I don’t like feeling this useless.”

“I’m thinking, just give me a moment.” Jaune murmured glancing between his hand and the opening up above.

“So… what will he do to Ruby and Doctor Oobleck if they get in the way?” Nora questioned. Jaune didn’t answer right away, glancing between the direction they ran off in and his blackened hand. He seemed torn on his next move, whether potentially exposing himself to one of Ozpin’s men would be worth the risk or not.

The champion turned to her other teammates taking the silence as a bad sign. “We have to stop them!” The two didn’t argue, each turning on their heels and rushing down the tunnel.

“Wait!” Jaune shouted but the others ignored him. The group couldn’t afford to wait at this point with lives on the line. They came upon a curve in the rail line, seeing Oobleck trying to approach while Ruby and Zwei watched carefully. The dog looked more confused than anything, and was frantically glancing around the dark tunnel.

“Hello there young man. My name is Doctor Oobleck. Could you tell me your name?” He waited for an answer, but clearly saw something very different from the other students. There was nothing there. He was talking to thin air.

“Ruby!” Pyrrha skidded to a halt next to the reaper. “What are you two doing?!”

“Doctor Oobleck is calming the kid obviously.” Ruby said softly. “Why are you yelling? You’ll scare him.“

“Harut? I’ve never heard that name before.” The Professor continued as if everything was normal. “Well it’s good to meet you-“

“Doctor Oobleck!” Nora screamed. “It’s a trap!”

“Ms. Valkyrie? What are yo- GAH!” His sentence was cut short when a black tendril threw him sideways, followed by a flash of blinding light. A glowing staff was lodged in the floor where Oobleck once stood, evaporating quickly.

“What was THAT?!” Ruby exclaimed panicking. “Where’d the boy go?!”

“What are you talking about Ruby? There was nothing there.” Pyrrha answered as she prepared herself for battle. 

Then a child appeared before everyone as if popping into existence. He had matted black hair and pale red eyes, plus several dark feathers growing from his forearms. He watched everyone of them with a blank stare.

“Sorry, but you are all in the way. Master Raphael will deal with you now.” The group watched in shock as the boy vanished into thin air once again. Ruby was the first to speak up.

“W-wait, what’s going-“

“Everyone start moving!” Jaune ordered. He was rushing up to them while dragging his hand along the wall, those dark tendrils extending along the ceiling through the breach in the tunnel. He whipped his shield out and held it above his head preparing for something bad. 

Then it happened. Several glowing staffs shot down through the roof, impaling the ground right as Ren rolled forward. Pyrrha lifted her shield in time to intercept a rod aimed right for her. It deflected off her shield and hit the ground right by her ankle. She glanced up seeing the shadow like tendrils dancing around the ceiling, knocking away the new projectiles and changing their trajectory. Jaune was using a few tendrils to watch their enemy and figure out the attack angles. It didn’t stop them but gave everyone more wiggle room to avoid the onslaught. Nora grabbed Pyrrha’s free arm and started running, only for a row of staffs to block them off like a cage. Oobleck managed to recover enough to see Jaune with the whip like structures growing from his black hand. He looked about ready to berate him with questions but thought better of it, instead scooping up Zwei as another rod ripped through his coat sleeve.

“Students, we need to find cover!”

“What cover!? They’re coming through the ceiling-“ Nora screeched when a rod hit her directly. A blinding light glowed at the impact sight and something in her pocket started burning. Suddenly the thing was sent flying back upwards and exploded against the ceiling in a cascade of light. Pyrrha pulled Nora under her shield while the bomber tried patting the flame in her shorts out. She quickly checked the girl over for damage but couldn’t find any, only her pink aura flowing visibly over her skin.

“Nora!” Ren yelled. He tried to rush over to them but was completely blocked in. Ruby jumped back as a rod ripped a hole through her cape, falling into Ren and sending them both to the ground. 

“ENOUGH!” Jaune shouted. Black wings tore through his jacket and a large light shield began taking form above his head. He rushed forward trying to cover the group before anyone else got hurt. 

She wasn’t entirely sure what happened next. It was like a powerful shockwave sent her and Nora flying backwards and the entire tunnel did a somersault. The ground shook as a deafening bang nearly split her eardrums. Right then the downpour of attacks finally ceased, leaving the tunnel far too quiet. It took a few moments for the dust to settle, but Pyrrha wished she could forget the sight before her entirely.

XxxxxxxxxX

A huge pain radiated through his stomach as his body shot upwards. Jaune hit the rocks above hard as the object responsible lodged deep into the ceiling. It was a long spear, giving off a soft white light with deep red runes dancing along the shaft. Jaune’s weight caused him to slide down slowly, but instead of falling free his descent was stopped by some sort of barb on the pole. His aura flickered out uselessly around the wound as the spear started draining his soul’s energy. With a firm hand he grabbed the shaft and tried shaking it loose to no avail. He was pinned to the ceiling by Raphael, and he was losing strength quickly.

The blonde could hear Pyrrha screaming his name, and the panicked voice of Nora, though he couldn’t understand her blabbering. At least the cascade of raining magic had finally ceased. It looked like the aggressors were waiting for something but he wasn’t sure what. The humans could escape now, if he could convince them to leave at least.

“JAUNE?!” Ruby shouted sounding panicked.

“I-I’m fine.” Jaune forced out along with a bit of blood. “You guys need to run! They have what they came for.” He noticed the spear starting to flicker black with Pyrrha’s semblance. His eyes widened in panic. He couldn’t let them near this thing! 

“Don’t move it!” Jaune growled. Pyrrha stopped immediately. He expected her to start arguing, but instead heard Ruby firing her weapon and the scythe lodging itself in the curved ceiling next to him. On the end dangled a frantic Ruby. She started reaching her free hand towards the spear much to Jaune’s dismay.

“And don’t touch it!” He slapped her away. She recoiled but refused to hop down, instead looking at him sternly.

“We’re not leaving you behind!”

“This is bigger than you can handle! Everyone WILL die!”

“I said NO!” She shouted back like a stubborn child. Jaune gritted his teeth and turned his hopes elsewhere.

”Pyrrha!” The blonde growled unable to see her in his position. “It’s me they’re after. Take everyone else and run!”

“No! I told myself I would protect you!” She shouted.

“That’s an order!”

“You’re our team leader, not our boss!” She shot back. Pyrrha was too determined to budge. “We aren’t leaving!”

“If we go down it will be together!” Nora added from below. 

“Did my demonstration mean nothing?! You guys need to run! You-“ 

“Your teammates have already spoken!” Oobleck shouted. “I don’t know what’s going on, or what you are exactly, but I haven’t lost a student under my tutelage before and I won’t let you be the first.” Jaune glanced between Ruby and the ceiling. He could already see far better with his wings sprouted and his power released. There were three Angels waiting above ground, and Raphael was already moving to breach the tunnel again. His humans wouldn’t escape all three of them, even if Jaune managed to hold Raphael back the others could slip past his defenses. 

Maybe… if they managed to call for a rescue the Angels might stop for fear of being caught. For that plan to work he needed to hold them back long enough for the group to get a signal sent. That only left him with one option though and he absolutely hated it. He fished the seal out of his pants pocket and looked to it apprehensively. Jaune could merge it with one of his teammates, but that would also mean selling their soul to him. They would not have the proper afterlife or ever reunite with loved ones, as far as he knew anyway.

He looked back to Ruby and then the seal, growling with frustration. He couldn’t do it. Damn it, he couldn’t do it! They’d be better off dying here then suffering the fate of selling their souls. He shoved the thing back in his pocket glimpsing his blackened hand. A new idea started to form, a risky one but it was possible to pull off.

He reached his other hand out and touched the blade on Ruby’s scythe. He closed his eyes channelling Beelzebul’s power.

**“With thee I entrust the power to protect. Use it to guard thine loved ones from the powers that harm. Go now and do not fail.”**

Dark magic radiated from his hands into the scythe, the mark on his arm shrinking down to encompass only his fingers while the blade transformed into a midnight black.

Ruby gawked at the change in her weapon struggling to find words.

“J-Jaune? What did you do to my baby?! And what gibberish was THAT?!!”

“Hebrew.” Jaune stated grabbing the blade tightly. “Listen closely Ruby. I gave you a gift, a very dangerous one at that. Use it to protect.”

“But we can’t le-“

“you’re not leaving me, this is all part of the plan.” Jaune smiled reassuringly. “I’m stronger than I look, I can promise you that. A human won’t survive long in the shit show that’s about to happen. You NEED to get the others to the surface and signal for a rescue. Do you understand?” Ruby looked apprehensive, and Raphael was charging something big. “Ruby?!”

“O-okay.” Ruby nodded finally coming to a decision. “I’ll get the others out.”

“Good, now-“ He grabbed her blade and yanked it out of the ceiling, dropping her to the ground. Jaune summoned a light shield around the spear right as the blast hit. It created an umbrella over his teammates below but wasn’t doing him much good. Rocks and metal flew in every direction as the spear in his gut started heating up from the attack’s intensity. He gritted his teeth as he felt the skin and muscle starting to cook around the wound. It hurt like Hell but he refused to give an inch. The stone holding him in place finally disintegrated sending him falling to the ground. He landed hard on his side with a yelp, the spear jostling violently. This was going to be a bitch to heal, and the fight hadn’t even started. Looking up he could see the soot and debris starting to clear revealing daylight. Worse yet Pyrrha was already running towards him.

“JAUNE!” She shouted getting within a few feet of him. The Angel responded by flapping his wings making enough wind to send all of them skidding backwards.

“RUN NOW!” Jaune summoned another shield between himself and his human friends. Pyrrha and Nora automatically ran to start pounding on it, but he could hear Ruby trying to get everyone going. It took a few moments before the noises stopped and the entire group started moving in the opposite direction down the tunnel. 

Thank God for that.

Now to buy the others time. 

“That was a cheap move dirtbag. And I was trying to avoid any conflict.” Jaune spat at the approaching figures, craning his neck to see the attackers’ silhouettes. The figures all wore long cloaks and Grimm masks, though the large wings easily gave all of their identities away. “I thought you were more of a gentleman fighter. Well, not that you’re much of one to begin with, Mr. Archangel of Healing.” None of them said anything, all glaring at him angrily. Jaune looked to the central one with narrowed eyes while carefully moving to a crouched position. “So was it Harut’s plan?” He gestured to the figure on the left, the only other Angel with black wings. “You won’t find salvation by killing innocent humans.”

“It is your fault they became collateral.” The one on the right said in a feminine voice.

“I wasn’t talking to you, and shouldn’t you be licking Uriel’s heels right now?” Jaune growled. Azrael just scoffed.

“You wouldn’t be talking that way if you knew why I was here.”

“And why would that be?” He asked. 

“Your damn humans are far too loyal.” She stated blankly. “Raphael was convinced forcing you from your disguise would send them all fleeing. I told him otherwise but he just had to try proving me wrong.” Azrael looked to her superior, though he couldn’t see her expression with the mask on. “Is it time to eliminate them yet? They know Master Uriel’s face. Letting them live could ruin our plans.”

“They won’t believe a bunch of children.” Raphael stated.

“But they might believe a Beacon Professor.”

“Azrael…” The Archangel growled dangerously.

“Don’t worry, I’ll stick to your stipulation.” The Angel sighed. “Do you really think sending them away would do them any good?” Jaune stood up in a more solid stance, placing both hands on the spear and yanking it through his stomach. The barb caught on muscles and intestines. Now he really wished he would have traded his stomach instead of a lung and kidney,but he didn’t stop. He ripped and pulled until it was midway through his gut. He needed his movement back and this stupid thing was draining his energy. Raphael lifted his right arm and the weapon started disintegrating. Within seconds the thing was out of Jaune’s stomach and now in Raphael’s grasp. He patted his hand on the gaping hole running all the way through his torso. It still hurt like Hell but he could manage.

“So… that’s why you waited to spring that trap, isn’t it?” Jaune asked gathering his own magic into his left hand. “You could have impaled me sooner, but you wanted me to sprout wings first.” Raphael didn’t respond, still looking down on him. Jaune glowered but continued pooling his magic. If Raphael was resorting to his holy weapon then Jaune would probably be forced to do the same, as much as he didn’t want to. 

“So why did you change it?” The blonde asked instead hoping to keep them distracted. “It used to be a staff. Why make it a spear?” Raphael paused for a moment, taking his time to answer.

“Perhaps… it was the same reason you changed yours.” Without warning the Archangel shot forward attempting to stab Jaune through the chest. He summoned two glowing swords in response, using them to knock Raphael off course. The other quickly recovered and started firing more golden staffs into the air. Jaune summoned his own blades and intersected the attacks. They exploded upon impacting with each other, causing falling cascades of light that the other Angels tried to utilize. Jaune summoned five more swords and threw them all at the escaping Angels, yet they managed to dodge each one. Growling he lifted his hand and called the little magic from Beelzebul that he still possessed, summoning two black tendrils that tried blocking their escape. One intercepted Azrael and wrapped around her like a bind, but Harut swiftly dodged out of the way and continued to fly towards his friends at breakneck speeds.

“No!” Jaune summoned several more swords and flung them at the fleeing Angel, but Raphael tackled him forcing the projectiles off course.

“They will see the monster that you really are.” The Archangel growled. “If they turn on you then they won’t have to die. If they side with me and keep silent they can live normally. It’s as simple as that.” Jaune just gritted his teeth in response. If they turned on him that was their decision, but a selfish part of him did not want his humans to abandon him. He couldn’t say that out loud though, for his friends’ safety if nothing else.

Raphael lifted the spear above his head and plunged it downwards, but Jaune was ready. He blocked the blow with a light shield and pushed Raphael back. Kicking off the ground Jaune created a gust of wind that forced a layer of debris into the other’s face. He used the distraction to fling several dozen swords at Raphael, but the Archangel blocked them with his own shield. He glanced up noticing the lack of a second angel, growling at the fact Azrael had slipped past him.

Damn that bitch, and the two of them weren’t making any progress in this battle. A flash of light got him back at attention, summoning another shield defending from several more staffs. Raphael was getting up again and his humans were still in danger. 

He had to end this quickly.

Using the stored magic he summoned an object he never wanted to use again. A long dark pole started to form in a flurry of sparks. It was deep black with yellow runes dancing along the metal, and one end branched out into three barbed points. He swung his trishul towards Raphael forcing him to defend with his own light shield.

“So you’re going to take this seriously now?” Raphael asked already preparing his next attack. Six mirrors had appeared over his shoulder as he quietly chanted a prayer. The faces began glowing a bright red as he charged his magic. 

“If that’s what you want to call it.” Jaune stated already increasing the gravity of the area around him. Raphael shot forward not realizing the change, face planting when he hit the gravity field. The blonde leapt forward with his trishul held high, stabbing it down on Raphael with a cry. The latter rolled out of the way at the last second, levitating his spear and stabbing it at Jaune. Barely managing to deflect it he glanced over to Raphael only for his eyes to go wide. Three of his mirrors were fully charged now and they were ready to go off.

He dropped his weapon and held his arms up forming a thick light shield as the beams fired, throwing him against the wall as he tried desperately to keep his shield up. Raphael was walking closer and the white hot beams only seemed to intensify.

“Will you surrender?” Raphael questioned.

“Depends. Can you promise my humans will be left alone?” Jaune growled.

“You already know the answer Lucifer. It isn’t going to change.” The Archangel responded. Jaune just snarled, twitching his fingers getting a magical hold on his weapon.

“Then I’m not done!” He called the pitchfork to him, managing to stab Raphael through the back. His red aura flicked out and he couldn’t hold back a pained scream. The beams finally broke letting Jaune down. He kicked off the wall summoning several more swords ahead forming a spear point. Raphael wasn’t able to move. He could finish this quickly-

Then a new beam knocked him sideways.

He crashed through the tunnel wall causing part of the brickwork to crumble on top of him. His hip and right leg were screaming in agony while the crushed bones in his left quickly began snapping back into place. He didn’t have time to make a shield. He didn’t have the aura to protect himself either. His body took that attack full force and suffered the consequences. Slowly he glanced down seeing the attack had nearly destroyed his pant leg and a massive hole had been burned through his thigh down to the bone.

“Shame. I was aiming for your head.” The blonde quickly glanced up seeing one of Azrael’s mirrors, the Angel in question stepping forward.

She had never left the battlefield.

XxxxxxxxxX

The group ran and ran deeper into the tunnel. They couldn’t hear the sounds of fighting, or anything else for that matter. Jaune was well out of earshot now, which only made Pyrrha more worried. She abandoned her partner! She had just told him she wouldn’t leave, then somehow Ruby convinced her to run. The reaper said they had to follow their part in the plan, which the champion was still clueless about.

Worse still Nora and Ren were being completely silent too. The bomber looked just as guilty as Pyrrha felt, while her partner remained focused on the task ahead. It was maddening! She made a terrible mistake and she wouldn’t be able to fix it. She just needed to know why!

“I can’t believe we left Jaune behind!” Pyrrha cried finally coming to a halt. The others stopped running too, looking back to her worriedly. “How could you not feel awful about this? He’s our friend!”

“We aren’t abandoning him!” Ruby explained still wanting to move. “This is part of Jaune’s plan.”

“Plan?! He got impaled and stuck in the ceiling! What plan could he possibly have?!”

“Pyrrha, he’s just as strong as those other attackers. Jaune is the only one with a chance of winning.” Ren tried to explain calmly but Pyrrha was having none of it.

“I agree with Pyrrha!” Nora added pulling her arm from Ren’s grasp. “I told him we’d fight together and you dragged me away!”

“Nora please-“

“No! I’m going to help our leader and that’s final!”

“I-I need to go back too. What if he’s been captured? They could be killing him right now!” Pyrrha stated looking back in the direction they came from.

“You’re both going to get killed!” Ren said raising his voice a bit. “Or you’ll get in the way! He showed us the dangers for a reason.”

“Guys! Please stop fighting!” Ruby yelled trying to get their attention. “We really have to-“

“I’m not losing another family member!” Nora screamed at her partner. His eyes reflected the hurt her words caused but he soon turned resolute.

“And I’m not losing you!”

“This is something out of my realm of knowledge.” Oobleck stated much to everyone’s surprise. “I’ve never seen anything like this before, and after that last demonstration the best course would be a tactical retreat. And all of this bickering will not help your teammate.” The three of them looked away a bit ashamed, not having anything to say about it. The professor’s words were true I matter how much they wanted to protest. 

“Besides-“ Oobleck glanced at every one of his students suspiciously. “All of you seem to have important insight that could benefit our situation. Would anyone care to explain why Mr. Arc suddenly became a bird Faunus?” None of them were particularly keen on answering, but the Professor had seen the proof with his own eyes. He would eventually pursue this knowledge on his own, and it would probably be best to break the news gently without him getting into dangerous territory. She just hoped Jaune would forgive her.

“You won’t tell anyone else, right?” Pyrrha asked. “About Jaune at least. If we tell you what’s going you’ll keep Jaune’s… condition a secret?” 

“That depends on the nature of this information.” Oobleck raised an eyebrow. “If he is a potential threat to the city I will have no choice.” Pyrrha sighed a bit relieved. 

“He’s not a threat, I promise that much.”

“He’s also an Angel, not a Faunus.” Ren added. “The same with the creatures that attacked us.”

“An Angel you say?” Oobleck pondered. “This is a very bold claim you are making.” 

“It does sound crazy, but you saw it too!” Nora exclaimed. “Jaune sprouted wings and the others used magic to attack us from above ground. If we don’t do something soon Jaune will really be in trouble!”

“That’s why we need to get a signal sent!” Ruby chimed in impatiently. “If help arrives the attackers will back off so they aren’t exposed. That’s what he told me.” 

“Wait, you really weren't abandoning him?” Pyrrha’s questioned.

“Of course not! I told you this is all part of the plan, and if we don’t do our part, everyone will be in more danger.” Ruby affirmed. 

“I must agree that is the best course of action given our foes.” Oobleck nodded. “However, the only chance of finding said signal is if we manage to get above ground. We should continue ahead to the next breach in the ceiling.” 

No one argued with him. The group started running again until they saw peeks of sunlight entering the tunnel. They had found another hole. Now for everyone to climb up and start searching for a signal. 

“I… don’t think I can jump that high.” Ren commented after judging the height of the ceiling. It seemed farther up then Pyrrha remembered, but working as a group everyone should make it.

Ruby led the charge. She used her gun to kick off the ground while her semblance gave her the extra boost to reach the hole. She grabbed the edge with her scythe blade, pulling herself up and looking down at the others. 

“Hurry guys! We need to go!”

“Okay, I’ll go next!” Nora said readying her hammer. She slammed into the ground activating her grenade launcher. The force sent her soaring through the air getting very close to the breech but not quite making it, only for Ruby to offer her scythe forward. Nora grabbed it and swung the rest of the way up making a safe landing by the young reaper. “That. Was. AWESOME!” The red head squealed. Nora glanced down at the others only for her smile to fall. She made sure to look away from Ren rather quickly, still clearly upset with him.

“Okay Ren, I’ll give you a boost.” Pyrrha said getting her shield ready. The ninja nodded and got into position ready to jump.

Jaune’s necklace started producing an odd energy that made her pull back. She glanced over to Ren, who was already giving her a knowing look.

“Halt!” A feminine voice ordered. Pyrrha turned seeing one of the attackers was now above them. They had distinct black wings like Jaune but the Grimm mask and cloak they wore disguised any other details about them. Everyone assumed battle stances ready for a fight. 

The Angel summoned several glowing katana style swords and blocked off the hole preventing anyone else from leaving or entering. 

Ren looked up to Nora giving her a decisive nod. The redhead looked pained but quickly nodded back, grabbing Ruby’s cape and dragging her into the woods.

“They shouldn’t have bothered.” The Angel commented. “I’ll track you all down eventually.”

“Unfortunately I cannot let you do that.” Oobleck said in his lecturing voice. Zwei growled at the Angel but didn’t seem keen on approaching it, instead trying to use the professor as a shield. Oobleck was quick to notice the dog’s behavior and seemed to change up tactics. “Though in all honesty I would rather avoid a fight when possible. Therefore! Why don’t we try discussing the issue instead.” He turned his weapon back into a thermos and tried offering his hand in greeting. “My name is Doctor Oobleck. What is your name?” The Angel simply stared through their Grimm mask, not giving an answer. After a moment she waved her hands and several more katana appeared over her shoulders. 

“The conditions are non-negotiable. I already have my orders.” 

“Well that is really a shame.” The professor continued. Ren inched his way closer to Pyrrha so they could talk to each other. 

“We need to buy Ruby and Nora time.” He whispered.

“Do you think we can hold her back?” Pyrrha questioned doubtfully. Ren’s mouth turned into a thin line, the grip around his pistols tightening.

“We… just need to last until a distress signal is sent.”

Pyrrha just gave a stiff nod to his reply. So he wasn’t too confident either. Ruby and Nora were already trying to find a signal though, and they had Doctor Oobleck with them too. They could do this.

“This is such a shame really. Just simply tragic.” The doctor continued. “I’m sure you have so much knowledge that could be shared-“ the Angel responded by launching her weapons which forced Oobleck to jump back. He quickly lit some fire dust at the end of his weapon and used it like a flame thrower, trying to distract the woman with flames. Ren was quick to assist, running midway up the wall and launching himself into the air. He did a flip soaring several feet above the aggressor, aiming both of his pistols down and firing rapidly. The Angel summoned a light shield blocking every bullet. She flapped her wings hard sending him off course and falling. Pyrrha rushed forward throwing her shield into the air giving the ninja a launch point to recover. Ren put all of his strength into a new jump as soon as his feet made contact. He shot forward with both pistols drawn aiming straight for the Angel’s wings. The creature swung around summoning a solid looking katana with runes dancing along the blade, slashing at Ren. The ninja barely got a hand up it time and the sword collided with the blade of his pistol.

Pyrrha transformed her weapon into a rifle and began firing at the woman. The Angel again blocked every one of them with a light shield, pushing Ren to the side and rushing towards Pyrrha. Oobleck took the chance to swing his weapon at the aggressor. He swung wide and the Angel barely dodged the swing before kicking the Doctor into the wall.

The Angel threw several fresh katanas at Pyrrha forcing the girl on the defensive. She dodged what she could and blocked the rest with her shield. The last three were extremely close together so she flipped avoiding the first two but the last one hit her leg. She screeched at how hard the impact was. It hit harder then Jaune’s sword did, at least three times harder. Instead of breaking through her aura the necklace around her neck released a strong energy. The glowing sword flew back into the wall with a loud bang, and the necklace Jaune gave her burst into flames. She quickly started trying to pat the flames out, rushing behind a small wall of debris for cover.

Ren took the chance to try cutting the attacker’s wings again. She turned around summoning another katana and slashing him in the shoulder. Just like with her the thing was deflected and his pocket started burning. He hit the ground and rolled several feet. It took him a moment to recover only for the woman the throw several glowing weapons into the ground sandwiching him in place. She summoned the solid katana again and began running towards him. She raised her weapon ready to strike and Ren wasn’t able to move in time. He shut his tightly expecting to die, only to be splattered with someone else’s blood.

Oobleck was standing above Ren with his weapon at the angel’s throat, only he never finished his attack. Instead of deflecting the blow his aura completely failed to protect him, leaving the man with a large gaping slash through his chest and his aura flickering uselessly.

“W-What?” The man coughed out before his features began contorting in agony. He tried to scream, but no words escaped his mouth. The Angel pulled her weapon away rather agitated.

“Doctor Oobleck!” Pyrrha threw her shield at the attacker, but she deflected it easily. The Angel launched herself after Pyrrha deciding to change targets. Ren was too shocked to move right away. He was trying to call on his semblance to calm down, at least enough so he could move. He just starred up wide eyed as the man fell to his knees, crumpling the rest of the way to the floor. Zwei finally overcame his fears as soon as the Angel moved, quickly rushing over to Oobleck’s side. Ren soon got to his own knees and scurried over to the still form that had just saved him.

“D-Doctor Oobleck?” His voice cracked a bit. The man didn’t answer, remaining facedown on the floor. A shadow approached from above making the ninja glance up. The Angel was standing right above him with her sword ready. In her off hand Pyrrha was trapped in a choke hold with two glowing katanas on either side of her head. The champion was struggling to breath against the tight hold but any attempts at escape proved fruitless. She managed to force an eye open and gave Ren an apologetic glance before the woman’s hand tightened more. Her gaze soon fell towards him, and Ren swore her eyes were glowing a dark red under that mask. She raised the sword preparing to decapitate him. 

“This time I won’t-” A loud bang reverberated through the tunnel and a bullet struck the Angel before she could finish. The woman glanced at her wounded shoulder seeing black electricity trying to combat her healing attempts. She looked up to the breach where Ruby was standing with her scythe aimed through the gaps of the swords baring her entry. 

“Hey you big meanie! Up here!” Ruby shouted while shooting several more rounds at the Angel. She blocked each bullet with her light shield, carefully examining the odd black smoke and sparks each collision made. She glared at Ruby’s scythe, her eyes narrowing in understanding. Without a second thought she threw Pyrrha on top of Ren and surrounded the small team in a deep maroon bubble of light before taking off after Ruby. The young reaper scurried off in a flurry of rose petals with the aggressor close behind. 

Pyrrha gasped as soon as her airway was clear, taking in as much oxygen as her lungs would allow. She lifted both hands to her sore throat as her frame wracked with heavy coughing.

“Pyrrha?!” Ren pushed himself up and started rubbing her back reassuringly. He waited for her breathing to steady to steady before glancing at the bubble surrounding them.

“I don’t think we’re getting out of here.” Ren murmured. His voice was level but his eyes showed that worry he felt. Pyrrha tried answering but her throat wouldn’t let her. She gently felt around the skin only to flinch at the spike in pain. That Angel has left some serious bruising that would definitely last for a while. How she managed to survive that monster’s brute strength she had no clue. It must have been destiny intervening, or perhaps dumb luck.

Zwei’s sad whimpering caught her attention. She glanced down only for her heart to clench. Zwei was carefully licking Oobleck’s hand, but the doctor wasn’t responding to it. He laid perfectly still, as motionless as a corpse. The two of them rolled Oobleck onto his back, followed by Ren pulling a green dagger pith of his jacket. He used it to cut away so if the fabric around the injury sight, pulling it away from the wound. Pyrrha put her hands up to her mouth. The thing looked horrible. His aura was sputtering around the puncture wound, as if it was just trying to keep its form rather then heal him.

“W-What is this?” The champion croaked. The man was barely breathing and all color had left his irises and pupils. He was deathly pale and looked more like a husk then a living person.

“This is really bad.” Ren said while checking his pulse. “He’s not going to make it at this rate.”

“Here.” Pyrrha pulled her cardigan off and handed it to Ren. “W-we need to slow the bleeding.” She was barely understandable with the amount of damage to her neck, but Ren understood enough of it.

“I don’t think that will-” He paused at seeing her desperate expression. With a deep exhale he took her cardigan and pressed it against Ooblecks stomach. “We’ll need more than this.” He added. She tried nodding only for the pain in her neck to spike. She instead gingerly removed her scarf, only to stop at seeing the pin Jaune had given her. She quickly removed it before handing it to Ren. The ninja was also removing his sweater vest and trying to apply pressure without obstructing the man’s labored breathing. He used every article trying to slow the bleeding, but nothing helped. It didn’t take long for every bit of clothing to soak through with blood, leaving them with few other options for bandages. 

Pyrrha couldn’t peel her eyes away from his dying form. She was both horrified by baffled by his wound. Even during their attempted first aid the doctor’s aura continued to fizzle around his body. It didn’t do anything to heal him though. In fact it seemed to be unravelling as the minutes ticked by. 

“H-how?” She croaked.

“I-I don’t know.” Ren whispered. “I’ve never seen this before.” His breathing was becoming slower and slower and she couldn’t look away. Both her and Ren were starting to feel hopeless. If that Angel was able to take Oobleck down so easily, what chance did Nora and Ruby have? She couldn’t help but notice how down Zwei looked too. He was nuzzling himself between Oobleck’s arm and torso letting out several sad sighs as soon as he settled. Pyrrha honestly felt the same. This entire situation was bad, and she was having trouble seeing the way through. She held the maple leaf pin close to her chest praying silently as Jaune normally did. Perhaps if these brother Gods were real they would help them out of this. She just wanted everyone to survive and see another day, but that prospect seemed less and less likely by the minute.

“Nora, Ruby… Jaune.” The champion whispered under her breath. “Please don’t fall.”  
M

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta read by Maldevinine. If you need more of a Ruby fic you should check out their RWBY/Mad Max crossover. It’s a lot of fun and pretty wild.
> 
> We’ve reached chapter 20 folks. This feels like quite the milestone honestly, and shit really hits the fan here. Curious to see how you guys feel about it.


	21. Brothers in Arms Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The second half of the battle is here. Will there be any more casualties? Read on to find out.

Ruby ran as fast as she could through the dense forest. She didn’t have a destination in mind. The girl just knew that her friends were injured and she needed to get that monster away from them. The Angel was following close on her heels, and despite using her semblance to move faster the flying creature was gradually gaining. She wasn’t entirely sure where Nora had gone either. The two had split up to try finding enough signal to send a distress beacon, but she knew she had to go back even after finding none. A bad feeling was gnawing at her gut, and it proved accurate enough. Ruby couldn’t explain how she knew either, but seeing Oobleck face down on the floor just solidified her decision to help. Sadly she didn’t have a plan beyond keeping the Angel distracted.

A glowing katana flew right past her face and embedded itself in a tree next to her. She made a quick turn only to be blocked by several more swords. Preparing her scythe she spun around facing her dark winged opponent, her eyes narrowing at the daunting figure hovering in front of her.

“Why are you hurting my friends?” Ruby questioned hoping to reason with the creature. “They haven’t done anything wrong.” The Angel ignored her question, instead looking at the girl’s weapon.

“You shouldn’t play with things you can’t understand.” The woman said holding her hand forward. “Give it to me and this will be much easier on both of us.” Ruby paused questioningly before her attention lowered to her scythe. An odd black energy seemed to respond to the woman’s threat, and a few dark tendrils whipped threateningly. Was this really about what Jaune did to her scythe earlier? She’d never seen anything like it. Well, on the train she did notice black tendrils had impaled some of the Paladins she was fighting. At the time she didn’t link it to Jaune, but that explanation made far more sense.

“What are you going to do with her?” Ruby questioned. 

“It needs to be destroyed. That idiot cursed the damn thing and now it will only lead to grief.”

“No way!” Ruby cradled her weapon defensively. “You aren’t allowed to touch my baby you jerk!” The Angel simply sighed and summoned several astral swords.

“The hard way it is then.” She threw her hand forward letting her katanas fly at the speed of bullets. Ruby whirled her scythe in a circular motion to stop the projectiles. As it turned a black energy seemed to separate from the scythe creating a wider shield. All of the swords collided with it, and she hardly felt the energy behind each impact. 

The Angel dove directly at her with several more swords summoned. Ruby leapt back seeing dark tendrils reaching out to swat the attacker. The woman was forced to bank left when one managed to smack her wing. It didn’t do any damage, the appendage being protected by an odd light. Still it was enough to make her angry. She summoned a solid looking katana and began charging once more. Ruby was forced on the defensive, doing her best to block and dodge each swing or projectile. 

The Angel was fast.

REALLY fast.

The reaper was barely able to keep up even with her semblance at work. Thankfully Jaune’s curse on the scythe protected her when she failed to dodge or avoid anything. It only infuriated her opponent more. The Angel moved back and snapped her fingers causing a bolt of red lighting to strike a Ruby. She screamed at the impact, but found herself mostly okay when the attack was finished. She realized the scythe blade was currently sparking with the red electricity, as if it was consuming the attack.

“We don’t need to fight!” Ruby pleaded knowing how badly she was outclassed. If it wasn’t for what Jaune did she’d definitely be dead by that lightning strike alone, and that fact only made her feel more vulnerable. 

The Angel didn’t respond, instead whirling around creating a massive blast of wind. It blew Ruby backwards into a tree, sending her head cracking against solid bark. The woman took advantage of her dazed state, summoning her solid katana and driving it straight into the ground. The earth began shaking with red sparks erupting through the cracks, rising and lowering at odd places forcing Ruby off balance. A glowing sword whacked her hand forcing the scythe loose from her grip. In a flash of red lightning the Angel had grabbed her weapon and was preparing to destroy the blade. 

Ruby’s eyes turned to pinpricks and she started to rush forward in a flurry of rose petals. Without her weapon though she was far more vulnerable, and the woman slammed her against a nearby tree with her knee. Ruby gagged as all the air was forced from her lungs. Her back hit the bark hard enough for the wood to crack. She glanced up when a solid foot pinned her to the dirt. The Angel was grabbing the blade attempting to snap it. The thing reacted violently, trails of yellow electricity and dark energy lashing at her.

Then she froze, noticing something Ruby didn’t, The woman summoned a light shield just in time for several grenades to collide with it. They blew up into plumes of pink smoke, clearing up enough to reveal Nora crouched in a tree with her grenade launcher out.

“Ruby! found a signal! Help is on the way!” She narrowed her eyes at the attacker. “This place will be crawling with huntsmen and Atlesian military in a few minutes. You should back off while you still can.” 

The Angel didn’t make any sudden movements, instead staring at Nora with her glowing red eyes behind that mask of hers. “A few minutes is all I’ll need.” She swung Ruby’s scythe lodging it deep into the tree above the girl’s head. Before Nora could respond the Angel quickly dove towards the bomber. Nora ducked out of the tree and fired several more rounds, only for the woman to block all of those too. She summoned several more katanas and flung them at the redhead. Nora yelped when one whizzed right by her ear cutting off several inches of hair. As soon as her feet hit the ground the girl was off dodging every katana flung her way. 

Ruby scrambled to her feet and started trying to yank the scythe free. It barely budged, and she could hear the battle between Nora and the Angel wasn’t going well. Her fears were solidified when Nora was thrown over her head knocking several large branches down in her fall. The girl recovered quickly, slamming her hammer into the ground launching herself back into the fight. 

“Come on! Move already!” She pulled the trigger on her weapon causing a round to fire and crack the surrounding wood. With several more swift yanks the bark completely cracked freeing the weapon. Ruby stumbled backwards nearly losing her balance, but quickly turned to the battle behind her using the weapon to catch herself. Nora was stuck trying to dodge at a distance as several dozen glowing weapons were flung her way. The Angel pulled out a solid looking katana with dancing runes, diving for Nora when her evasive attempts left her trapped between two large trees.

Ruby slammed her heel into the ground, shooting off the dirt in a flurry of rose petals right at the attacker. She pulled her scythe back and swung in a large arc expecting to force the Angel off course. Instead the metal of the blade started to glow a yellow color again, and several black tendrils extended from the weapon increasing its reach significantly. The Angel tried to dodge sideways as the blade contacted her cloak leaving a small rip at the shoulder. Ruby landed in front of Nora, giving the bomber a chance to recover. The two stood side by side staring their attacker down. 

The Angel glanced at Ruby’s weapon with narrowed eyes. The bomber looked up seeing something Ruby didn’t. Suddenly Nora was shoving her out of the way just as several katana pierced the ground from above. She switched her weapon into it’s hammer form and drove it into a nearby tree, knocking it over on top of the assailant. She summoned a light shield, the tree splintering upon contact with it. Ruby fired several more rounds but was also blocked by the same shield. 

“Oh come on!” Nora growled. Before either of them could move the Angel suddenly appeared next to Ruby in a bolt of red electricity. Her scythe started glowing again and those black tendrils began reaching around her trying to form a shield. 

It wasn’t fast enough.

She drove the hilt of her solid katana into Ruby’s side sending her flying into a pile of boulders. Her Aura sputtered out and the girl dropped to the ground completely dazed. Time seemed to slow down as she tried to get her bearings. Ruby couldn’t tell up from down and everything was becoming a sickly shade of brown. Somebody had called her name but she couldn’t tell who. Slowly she pulled her head up as the world started to pull back into focus. Nora was trying to distract their aggressor before she could attack Ruby again. The Angel was forcing the girl on the defensive, sending wave after wave of glowing swords at her. She leapt and dodged as much as she could but eventually one sword got through. It hit her right in the stomach sending Nora directly into a large tree. Her aura gave out leaving the girl defenseless as the woman readied her solid katana. She rushed forward with her wings held back and the sword in striking position.

Ruby’s eyes turned to pinpricks as panic overtook her being. The woman was right on top of her friend ready to strike. She drove one foot into Nora’s leg resulting in a sickening crack that echoed through the forest. The girl screamed in agony but that didn’t stop her attacker. She started to bring the sword down in a fast swing right for The bomber’s throat.

Nora was going to die.

Her friend was going to die!

A sudden heat welled up inside of her as everything was surrounded in a blinding light. She thought she was screaming for the woman to stop but her hearing had given out. Her senses completely filled and she collapsed into a heap, everything suddenly turning black.

She couldn’t have been out for long. At least she thought anyway. Her head was spinning and her entire body felt weak, but she forced her eyes open anyway. Ruby glanced around as things started to come into focus again.

Nora was crumpled against the same tree, her hammer laying several feet away from her.

The Angel was gone.

“Nora?!” Ruby stumbled to her feet practically forgetting Crescent Rose in her hurry. She dropped down at Nora’s side trying to assess the damage. Her leg was definitely broken, badly enough that the femur jutted at an odd angle. She checked both sides of the bomber’s neck not seeing any cuts though there was some blood. The Angel didn’t slit her throat then, but the back of her head was bleeding.

“Nora? Please wake up!” The bomber let out a soft moan before slowly blinking her eyes open and blearily looking at Ruby.

“R-Ruby?” Nora whispered. “Does this mean we’re both dead?”

“No, we’re alive.” Ruby reassured.

“But that light…”

“I… I don’t know what that was.” Ruby said looking around for the potential source. Her eyes landed on the blackened blade of her weapon. Did her scythe do that? Jaune did something to her weapon, and it definitely assisted with their survival. Still, was it really enough to force that Angel to leave?

Nora pulled the reaper into a tight hug stopping her thought process.

”We SURVIVED!” She cried. “I thought she had killed you! I thought this was the end… that I wouldn’t be able to apologize...” she trailed off to sniffle and wipe her tears. 

“I-I know.” Ruby hugged back. She could vaguely hear the sounds of approaching bullheads. A medic would be here soon. They would be safe. Nora didn’t seem pleased with that though.

“We have to find the others.” She said, trying to stand up despite Ruby pushing her back.

“We need to wait right here! We’ll show them the way to the others once they find us.” 

“But Ren and Pyrrha were fighting that thing before us! What if she hurt them? What if the other Angels got past Jaune?!” Ruby hesitated remembering when she last saw the others. Pyrrha was in a chokehold while Doctor Oobleck lay unconscious. If it wouldn’t have been for her getting the Angel’s attention Ren and the others would be dead. She didn’t know what their current state was though. What if one of the other Angels got past Jaune? What if he was dead? Were they really too late?

Thankfully a bullhead hovered into view before Nora could try moving again. In the doorway stood several Atlesian soldiers, Professor Port and General Ironwood himself. Wait, why was it Ironwood and not Professor Goodwitch?

Professor Port was the first to leap out of the vehicle, landing on one knee and standing up to face the girls. 

“Students! What is the current situation?” Port asked preparing his axe rifle.

“Uhh… Nora is hurt, and the others are still trapped in the tunnel. The one that did this vanished.” The professor nodded, taking out his scroll and relaying the message to the bullhead above. Several medics rappelled down to the surface with four soldiers acting as guards. They began tending to Nora as Ironwood hopped down and approached Ruby.

“Ms. Rose. Could you lead us to the tunnel in question?”

“Y-Yes! It’s over this way!” Ruby grabbed her scythe and started rushing the way she came, the two huntsmen close behind. This was perfect! Now the others would be safe for sure. She just hoped that they would make it in time. It felt like an eternity before the familiar hole came into view. Without thinking she sped forward away from the huntsmen and leaned against the edge of the hole.

“Ren! Pyrrha!” Ruby called. After not hearing a response she decided to jump in and investigate before the others caught up. It was quiet, and the only thing she saw was Doctor Oobleck laying flat on his back with Zwei snuggled under his arm. There were no sounds of battle, or any other indicator that the Angels were still there. It didn’t calm her growing concerns that the others were absent

“Doctor Oobleck?” She asked stepping closer. Her heart started to pound when he didn’t answer. She rushed forward to his side only to pause. Ren’s long sleeve button up was laid overtop Oobleck’s face, and the man wasn’t breathing. Zwei looked up to her with a sad whimper.

“D-Doctor Oobleck?! PROFESSOR?! Please don’t go!” She grabbed his arm realizing how cold it was compared to hers. The reaper shook her head in complete denial, determined that her teacher was just unconscious. “Please wake up! I promise I’ll do all the extra credit you want! I’ll even force Yang to do it! Just wake up!” Nothing stirred him, and she was too terrified to remove the shirt covering his face. 

She didn’t want to accept what all of this meant, but it was getting harder to lie to herself.

He was gone. 

Doctor Oobleck had died and she wasn’t there to help him. 

Tears began to flood down her cheeks and she couldn’t stop the hiccuping sobs wracking her frame. 

“No…” She vaguely heard Professor Port murmuring through her sobs. The man had caught up to her and was fully seeing the carnage for himself. Rapid footsteps followed by the approach of several more bullheads blotted out everything else with the roar of their engines.

“Oh Oum Bart…” He said barely keeping a steady voice. She looked up wiping enough tears away so she could see. Port was kneeling on his other side near Zwei, checking the man’s pulse before lifting up the shirt hiding his face. He kept it angled so Ruby couldn’t see thankfully, but the image was nearly enough to make the man break down. 

“Come with me Ms. Rose.” A voice said quietly. She looked up seeing a sad looking Ironwood as well as several Atlesian soldiers jumping down the breach and spreading out through the tunnel.

“I-I...“ 

“This way, please.” He offered a hand for her to take. The reaper glanced back over to Port who was now standing with a hand over his eyes. He was keeping silent, but the pain he was feeling radiated from him in waves. A medical team had ushered Zwei away and were currently waiting for Ruby to move. She slowly complied, taking the hand offered to her and being guided to the entrance. Everything seemed to pass in a blur. One minute she was in the tunnel and the next she was sitting in a parked bullhead being checked by a medic. Zwei was laying by her feet letting out several long sighs, but she barely noticed.

Ruby was still in shock after what she’d witnessed. She had never seen a dead body before, much less the body of someone she knew. The concept of death was something she was already familiar with. After her mother died she had to grow up with that emptiness that her absence left. The reaper was so little when it happened though. Seeing her mother’s corpse wasn’t an issue either. This was different though. She felt directly responsible for this. What if she had run back towards the cave a few seconds earlier? What if her and Nora had stayed to give backup? There had to be something she could have done differently to prevent this-

“Ruby… Ruby?” The girl looked up finally realizing someone was calling for her. Nora was seated on a cot with a makeshift splint around her leg and a wrap around her head to stop the bleeding. She looked distressed and worried.

“Ruby, where are the others? Why isn’t Ren here?” 

“I-I don’t know.” She whispered after a moment's pause. Nora’s eyes widened in dawning horror.

“Ruby, WHERE is Ren?!” 

“I don’t know!” She finally shouted far harsher than she intended. “Ren, Jaune and Pyrrha weren’t down there! Just Zwei a-and…” she couldn’t bring herself to finish that statement. She still wanted to be in denial about all this. How could her first mission go so horribly wrong? Why did Doctor Oobleck have to die?! 

She couldn’t make eye contact, and felt too ashamed to say much else. Ruby quickly looked out towards the open door of the bullhead, her eyes going wide at the unexpected sight.

Several yards away from the airship sat a large red eyed dog. There was no Grimm mask, and the thing didn’t appear hostile. It simply stared directly at her, not bothering to blink or move a muscle. It looked just like the dog she saw in Mount Glenn, though she had a hard time believing that the same canine managed to follow her out here.

“Do you see that thing?” Ruby whispered back to Nora. The bomber didn’t respond, too busy trying to hold her tears back. She glanced down to Zwei, seeing that he was too distracted trying to cuddle up with Nora. The reaper nearly jumped when several armed men walked right through the dog like it wasn’t even there. It turned into a black mist momentarily, reforming as soon as the soldiers had passed. Was she seeing things? That thing couldn’t be real. She must have been losing her mind.

The co pilot approached with a radio in hand. He approached Ruby first.

“Ms. Rose, there is someone that wants to speak with you first.” He held the radio out, surprising her. She checked her own scroll seeing how low her signal still was. Who could be calling her on a military radio feed then? Ruby took the radio and held it to her ear.

“Hello-“

“RUBY!” The familiar voice of her older sister rang through the phone. “Are you hurt? What happened out there?!” Yang sounded both concerned and relieved at the same time, and she was usually so laid back. It was odd to hear her like that.

“W-well…” Ruby froze hearing a raspy sob come from Nora. She couldn’t hold back her tears any longer, and the dam was breaking completely after Yang got confirmation of her younger sister’s safety. Ruby felt a lump swell in her throat. She couldn’t bring herself to answer, and leaving Nora to suffer alone was more than she could bear right now. 

“W-we’ll talk when I get back.” She ended the call before Yang could say anymore, handing the receiver back to the copilot and moving over to Nora’s cot. She sat on the edge and pulled Nora into a tight hug. The bomber was quick to reciprocate, balling into Ruby’s shoulder.

“I-I lost my family again. Everyone is gone…”

“You don’t know that.” Ruby reassured. “I bet they escaped. Ren is really good at hiding, and Pyrrha is a champion fighter. They will probably meet up with the soldiers as they search the tunnel.”

Suddenly the engines on the bullhead roared to life and the thing began lifting off the ground. 

“W-wait!” Ruby shouted at the pilot. “Aren’t we waiting for the others?!”

“If anyone else is recovered they’ll be sent back in a separate bullhead.” The man answered.

Nora didn’t like that answer, continuing to sob harder. Ruby could feel fresh tears welling in her own eyes. This was bad. Where did the rest of team JNPR go? And what happened to the other Angels?

She glanced outside as the bullhead took off, seeing the black dog vanish in a cloud of dark smoke. Ruby was going crazy on top of losing one of her professors. It couldn’t get any worse than this. She closed her eyes and let the tears start to fall as the vehicle flew high into the air. She didn’t acknowledge when her scroll finally started vibrating, and neither did Nora. Any messages could wait. Now they needed to cry it out before they made it back to Beacon.

XxxxxxxxxX  
*Earlier*

“Had enough yet?” Azrael asked snarkily, quite pleased with the damage she had inflicted. She walked over to Raphael and removed the trishul from his back. With a low growl Jaune summoned it back to his own hands. He stood up shakily using it for support since his leg wasn’t working right. The injury around his thigh was slowly starting to heal, but he wouldn’t have time to wait for it to close completely. Raphael and Azrael were staring him down and both eager to keep going. Suddenly the latter vanished again. He glanced around scanning for any trace of her soul, but nothing was visible. It was like she vanished into thin air. The question was how. 

In a flash Azrael appeared right in front of him swinging her holy sickle at his throat. Jaune managed to block it with a hastily summoned sword. His eyes widened in both shock and confusion, having no clue where the Hell she came from. He couldn’t sense her soul at all!

While Azrael kept him distracted Raphael sent a fresh volley of attacks in his direction. Jaune took several hits before finally erecting a shield to block the rest and pushing Azrael back with a swift kick from his bad leg.

‘You didn’t see her?’ The serpent hissed. It had taken form again and was currently wrapped around his neck.

“What is that thing?” Azrael spat getting a good look at the creature.

“A second Lucifer?” Raphael added questioningly. They were both too surprised to move right away, giving Jaune the chance to put some distance between them. He resummoned his pitchfork and stood ready for the next assault, glancing over to the snake through the corner of his eye.

“No. It’s like she appeared out of nowhere.”

‘I see.’ The snake seemed to ponder the situation before hissing back. ‘She can create illusions.’

“How? That’s not something most Angels can do.”

‘Perhaps it’s her world specific power? Like her semblance?’ Jaune internally cursed already having forgotten about semblances. He wasn’t expecting one to be used in a fight like this, much less such a powerful one.

“This could be trouble.” Jaune murmured. “I couldn’t even sense her soul.”

‘But I could.’ The snake said back. ‘It appears being separated has its advantages.’

“Wait, you aren’t here to beg me to merge with you?” Jaune raised an eyebrow in surprise.

‘No. That would only make this far harder, and I can’t risk you dying.’ The serpent hissed. ‘You keep fighting Raphael and I’ll track Azrael for you. Sound like a deal?’ Jaune jumped back right as a second wall of staffs were thrown his way. The Angels were over their initial shock and back on the offensive.

“... Fine. We'll do it your way.” He could practically feel the serpent grinning at this small victory. It vanished from his shoulders leaving Jaune alone against the others. 

“Where’d it go?” Azrael questioned glancing around. Raphael didn’t bother asking. He charged forward with his spear summoned ready to impale him. Jaune intercepted with his trishul and the two became locked in a battle of strength. Azrael had vanished again by this point and he was already weary of her plans. 

‘Behind you.’ A familiar hiss echoed through his ear. He raised his light shield just in time to collide with Azrael’s onslaught of glowing sickles. With a shout he summoned several more swords and aimed them at Raphael forcing him to disengage.

‘To your right.’ The snake said before vanishing again. He didn’t hesitate, plunging the trishul to his side as several objects cut his shoulder and cheeks. The weapon collided with something that was forcing him back, but he didn’t let up the pressure. Azrael was cornered and he refused to let her go. She dropped her illusion, revealing that Jaune had her wing forced against the wall. A magical barrier was stopping it from penetrating but he wasn’t going to let her go. This bitch had caused him so much grief.

Uriel had caused him so much grief.

He wanted her to suffer. 

Jaune put as much magic into the thrust as he could manage. His muscles began bulging from the effort, and it felt like his very core was starting to burn. It was a familiar heat that he welcomed gladly. 

Memories of the recent shit this bitch had put him through flooded his mind. Constantly stalking his humans and keeping him on edge. Trying to hurt Pyrrha while he wasn’t watching. The thought alone just angered him further. 

His eyes turned yellow, glowing brightly with his rage. Everything around Azrael began to darken and all he could see was red. His chest and forehead started burning, as if the flames of Hell were egging him on. He obliged, increasing the gravity ten fold causing the stone and concrete behind Azreal to crack. She attempted to form her sickle, but was met with a summoned sword by Jaune. He drove the thing into her wrist before she could lift it, pinning her arm to the wall with a sickening crack. 

“Get off of me!” Azrael screamed. Her tone was starting to waver, her eyes glinting with genuine fear. Jaune flashed his teeth and growled, his canines starting to elongate into fangs. A familiar weight returned to his neck but he didn’t fight it this time. If the snake wanted to watch then he’d let it. 

The heat of his breath was enough to make her feathers start to singe, and her defenses were finally cracking. With an otherworldly cry he shattered her shield and drove the trishul straight through her wing and far into the stone behind her. She screamed and thrashed, trying to squirm free but it only damaged her wing further. Eventually she settled down as the weapon drained her magic. Spitefully she glared up at Jaune with glowing white pupils.

“I HATE YOU!” She snarled. He didn’t bother responding, determined to end this for good. Jaune summoned a fresh sword and held it to her neck. She froze, realising how vulnerable she really was. He lifted the sword preparing to slice her good wing clean off.

Raphael tackled him to the ground before he could continue. The two thrashed and rolled in the dirt until Raphael forced himself in the upper position. He grabbed Jaune’s head and slammed him into the ground multiple times snapping him from his enraged state. The world came back into focus and he realised where he was, but Raphael didn’t let up. With one final slam the rocks caved revealing a long hole that was several feet deep. Wait, wasn’t this where….

“You gave that stupid trap this much leeway room?!” Jaune growled remembering that damn spear that pinned him to the ceiling.

“It worked and that's all I care about.” Raphael snapped back. He lifted his fist and brought it down on Jaunes face, breaking his nose upon impact. When he pulled back the knight managed to erect a light shield large enough to block the blows. Raphael kept hitting harder and harder, each one wearing down at Jaune’s magic little by little. His consciousness was starting to waver and that serpent was nowhere in sight. 

“Do you sense their souls? Backup is coming to finish you off.” Jaune paused and glanced around trying to see what he meant. Then he realized what was coming, both of them at breakneck speeds. Raguel and Sariel were headed straight for his location. He couldn’t help but feel a bit betrayed by them, after saying they wouldn’t directly oppose him at least. They were the ones that told him and his team to try the Industrial District. Were they working to set him up this whole time?

He felt like such an idiot. Then again, everything he’d done until now had been a slew of stupid decisions. He should have just let the train plow through the city like it was meant too. Instead the only humans he’d ever cared for were about to get killed and it was all his fault. His magic was already near empty, and a hit from Raguel would knock him out cold. He couldn’t take on all four of them. 

This was it.

A winged silhouette cast a dark shadow over the two Angels. Raguel was staring down at the two of them, her eyes narrowing in on Jaune. She summoned her holy gavel in her right hand, the thing large enough to rival Nora’s hammer. She pulled it back over her shoulder, dive bombing right for his head. Jaune closed his eyes waiting for the impact, but it never came. Instead Raphael was thrown off his chest by the force of her blow hitting him square in the head. The Archangel landed in front of Jaune taking a defensive position while Raphael tried to recover.

“Raguel, What are you doing?” Raphael questioned dangerously.

“Stopping you.” She threatened pointing her hammer at him. “This is not Justice you are after, it’s pure revenge.”

“Get out of the way.” He threatened. 

Azrael threw a sickle at Jaune that he barely managed to dodge. She was shakily standing with his sword Crocea Mors in one hand and her wing separated and still pinned to the wall. Her stance was weak and she could barely stand but that didn’t stop her assault. Raguel was ready for her though, summoning several glowing hammers and knocking her to the ground.

“Yield weakling.” Raguel hissed. “This is a discussion among Archangels. Don’t push your luck.” Azrael glanced between Raphael and Raquel timidly, backing up and collapsing against the wall. She dropped his human sword and wrapped her good wing around her shoulder fearfully. Azrael wouldn’t try again. 

“Did you forget my warning? Do you really wish to take this path?” Raphael asked. Raquel simply straightened and puffed her wings.

“I side with truth and justice. What you are doing is foul and wrong. I cannot stand by and allow you to continue this horrible act of senseless hatred. You even slaughtered humans in your search for vengeance.”

“They are loyal to the Devil himself, and you think all of them can be let go?”

“I know you want at least one of them released. Would you like to share why?” Jaune perked his brow and looked to the Archangel questioningly. Raphael growled angrily but dissipated his weapon. Standing up straight he walked over to Azrael and scooped her off the ground. Turning back to the others he kicked off the ground and flew up into the air.

“You have chosen your side Raguel. Don’t try begging for forgiveness when death finally comes. None of your fellow Angels will be there to listen.”

“I don’t need to be forgiven for staying loyal to my principals. As the Angel of Justice I pray you will see the error of your actions and repent.” Raphael simply scoffed and flew away, leaving the two in that battle scarred pit that was once a tunnel. Despite the weakness in his body Jaune’s thoughts immediately turned to his teammates. 

“Where are my humans?” Jaune asked. He hazily looked in the direction they escaped in, unable to find anyones’ souls upon first glance. Their protection wards had been destroyed, which could only mean something bad happened to them.

“Your humans are fine. Sariel is taking care of them. Now come, we need to get you out of here before those bullheads arrive.” Raguel said trying to take his arm. Jaune pulled back attempting to stagger further into the tunnel using his trishul to balance when the world started spinning. If it weren’t for Raguel intervening he would have face planted into the floor. 

“What happened to you? That battle shouldn’t have left you this drained.”

“He used his holy weapon.” Jaune mumbled right as his trident dissipated into thin air. “The cheating bastard…” He could vaguely feel her pulling back the remains of his jacket and examining the spear wound.

“Jesus Lucifer. How long was it in there?” He tried to answer but his vision and voice gave out. The last thing he remembered seeing was a pair of red eyes watching him as the world faded to black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The subway battle has concluded! This was quite the effort getting here, but I’m pretty excited to get to the next arc of this story. It’s within sight.
> 
> This story has also surpassed 100,000 words! That’s completely insane. I never thought I’d write something this big and there is still plenty more to come. I hope you guys will stick around for it!
> 
> Beta read by Maldevinine on AO3. Go check their RWBY stories when you are done here.
> 
> Comments are appreciated!


	22. That’s a Wrap

The room was dusty, poorly lit and quiet, except for the floor creaking in places as Pyrrha paced around anxiously, despite the sharp pain in her throat that each movement caused. She and Ren were in an old mobster safehouse somewhere in the manufacturing district of Vale. Miltia had brought them here as soon as she found them under that dark Angel’s barrier. She had no problem getting past it, though she was too late to help Doctor Oobleck. Instead she dropped them both off and took their scrolls as soon as she realized Ren was trying to message Nora, and the Angel was currently out hiding them so the signals couldn’t be tracked. There was actual service now, and Miltia didn’t want this place being discovered by authorities. Ren was sitting on a stained sofa watching the news, his hands clamped tightly in front of him as he prayed for anything that might pertain to Nora.

The intro for the news sequence began playing after what seemed like a never ending commercial break, Pyrrha herself stopping to listen for anything important. The Vale news anchor came on screen with footage of the wrecked barrier wall in the background where the train had crashed.

“This is Lisa Lavender reporting on the current situation with what is being called “The Near Breach” of Vale. We have a confirmed count of fifty-three deceased White Fang members recovered from the rubble, with four survivors in serious condition. One survivor is the infamous criminal Roman Torchwick, who is currently under military supervision as he is being treated at Vale Community Hospital. There have also been no confirmed deaths among civilians, with only twelve injured and in stable condition. Though the investigation is still underway, it is believed that the actions of several huntresses in training may have minimized damages and saved countless civilian lives. We will report more as new details are released.”

“Well that is good at least.” Pyrrha commented grateful that their actions saved innocent people. Ren just grunted never taking his eyes off the news anchor.

“We have also received word that the missing Beacon student involved in the mission, first year Ruby Rose, has been found and is in stable condition. The missing huntsman, however, was found dead at the scene. Their name has not been released at this time.” Pyrrha and Ren both flinched at the statement, the memory of Oobleck’s death right before them still fresh in their minds. “In other news one of the other four missing Beacon students has been found.”

“Wait, four students? Is she talking about us?” Pyrrha blinked in surprise, not realizing they could have made headlines with their unannounced trip.

“First year student Nora Valkyrie has been found and is in a stable condition. The other three members of her team remain missing, and their possible whereabouts are still unknown. It is unclear if their disappearance is related to the Near Breach earlier this morning. That is all the information we have at this time.” Ren let out a long sigh of relief and immediately slumped into the dusty couch. Pyrrha kept watching as the portraits of her, Jaune and Ren appeared on screen along with their names and last known locations. “If you have any information regarding these missing individuals please contact your local authorities-“ Ren turned off the television having already heard everything he needed.

“This is crazy.” Pyrrha breathed. “We should let the school know we’re alright. Why won’t the Angels let us contact Beacon? They must be worried sick about us.”

“Probably the same reason they brought us to this place.” Ren motioned to the blood seal around the entryway. “They think we’re still in danger.”

“Well, not at the moment really.” The two turned seeing Miltia was back and crossing her arms in agitation. “Though how would you explain your extended absence if the two of you randomly showed back up at the school? Especially with the short one already discovered injured and Satan still missing. It would make you both seem awfully suspicious.”

“Leader.” Pyrrha stated firmly to Miltia’s surprise. “He isn’t a ‘Satan’ anymore. He’s our team leader Jaune.” The Angel blinked a few times before erupting in a fit of giggles.

“My, you certainly are a loyal one. However, one never stops being THE Devil. It’s a title held for eternity, whether your ‘leader’ likes it or not.” Pyrrha went to step forward but Ren grabbed her wrist. She looked back seeing the ninja shaking his head and motioning for her to sit down. The champion decided not to argue any further, but didn’t feel like sitting. Instead she chose to pace around a bit more.

“Where is Jaune? You said your friend was bringing him here.”

“Well, that would depend on several factors. For instance, whether or not they could sneak past the Atlesian military swarming the subway, if there were too many civilians blocking their path, and if there was further interference from our own kin.” Pyrrha didn’t like that answer at all. It meant that literally any number of things could have happened. And how long had they been waiting at this point? At least three or four hours, maybe more. Absently she reached for her scroll, only to remember that Miltia had taken it somewhere. It was clear Ren was frustrated by her words, though he chose to look straight ahead and keep his feelings to himself. Miltia just smirked and entered the kitchen deciding to clear off the stained table.

The champion sighed and leaned against the back of the couch rubbing her bruised neck. She was tired, stressed, hungry, and worried all at once and it was really giving her a migraine. Ren didn’t move to do anything either, still too lost in his own thoughts to really pay any mind. The two sat in silence before the door finally swung open.

Melanie burst through with a familiar winged figure slumped over her shoulders. There was a pause following her entrance as Pyrrha tried to process the scene in front of her. It smelled like something had been burnt, and it was strong enough to make her hair stand on end.

“Good news… we won.” The Angel said hoping to lighten the now even worse mood. It didn’t do much for Ren or Pyrrha.

“Jaune!” The two teammates rushed over to their fallen leader, any anger or irritation temporarily forgotten. They tried taking him from the Archangel’s shoulders but the girl just shook her head, shoving Jaune’s sheathed blade into Ren’s hands.

“I’ve got him. Ren, please make sure the kitchen table is cleaned off.” The teen nodded curtly and jogged into the other room. Melanie’s eyes soon turned to Pyrrha. “Could you hold his wings back so I can get through the doorway?” The champion quickly grabbed both of the limp appendages and held them together behind his back. Melanie walked forward with ease and Pyrrha followed behind. The two entered the kitchen right as Ren had finished wiping the dirt off and Miltia was stacking the junk from the table on a counter.

“Wait, it was seriously that bad?” Miltia asked tightly. Pyrrha could almost hear a tinge of fear in her voice. Melanie didn’t answer right away, instead placing Jaune on the table with his back to the ceiling. Pyrrha let his wings droop to either side of his body leaving his blood stained tattered jacket to cover the damage. Miltia pulled out a pair of scissors from her duffle bag and began cutting away what remained of Jaune’s hoodie and undershirt while Pyrrha couldn’t help but stare at the massive wound in his thigh. The surrounding portion of his jeans were singed while the wound itself left a crater where muscle and skin once was. It looked like it was healing very fast though, and she could visibly see muscles and veins reforming from all sides of the wound. That just left her to wonder how bad it originally was.

“That had to hurt.” Militia stated examining something else. She was looking at the gaping hole running through his torso, which didn’t appear to be healing at all. The flesh inside and out of the puncture wound was badly burned and Pyrrha could smell it. She’d never smelled burnt flesh before and with attention on it she felt her stomach starting to churn. It was the worst thing she’d ever inhaled. “This looks like Raphael’s work.” Miltia continued not seeming too fazed. How could she be so calm?!

“Yes, Raphael really did a number with his spear. The idiot passed out before he could give me any details sadly.” Melanie mumbled currently trying to look inside the wound with some large tweezers. She stopped for a moment remembering the two humans still in the room.

“Will he be okay?” Ren questioned also stepping away from the table. Miltia waved him off.

“Yeah, nothing he can’t heal on his own for the most part.”

“You two might as well wait in the other room.” Melanie added. “The two of us can handle this. We’ll talk more when we’re done with Lucifer.” Pyrrha was torn between staying with her partner and catching her breath outside. Ren made the decision for her, taking her free hand and guiding her out of the kitchen to the sofa. He took a seat while Pyrrha practically collapsed into it. She put her head to her knees staring down at the floor. Was this what Jaune felt like when he was air sick? Or was this something else entirely? All she knew was that her partner would be dead if he were human, and that she may eject whatever contents her stomach still had.

“He’ll be fine.” Pyrrha blinked, glancing at the quiet teen. He looked very sure of his statement and wasn’t showing any doubt. He placed a hand on her shoulder and she could feel her worry being replaced with a fresh calm. “Jaune’s already healed from a bullet to the head. This is nothing new.”

“I-I know.” She nodded grateful for his interference. Her stomach was already feeling better. “It doesn’t stop me from worrying regardless.” He paused for a moment thinking on how to proceed.

“I’ll have Nora break his legs later for scaring you that badly. I’ll hold him down.”

“Ren!” She shoved him lightly but couldn’t help the small smile spreading across her lips. She could imagine Jaune squealing like a girl in surprise. He wouldn’t even fight back either.

“I don’t think that was a no.” He tried next seeming hopeful it was working.

“I never knew you had a sense of humor.” The champion chuckled.

“It’s… not something I’m good at.” He admitted. “Cheering people up is more of Nora’s domain, not mine.”

“I appreciate the effort then.” She nodded and the two went silent again. “So… what do you think will happen if we have to fight that thing?” Pyrrha picked at her nails while Ren looked around the room, his eyes falling back on the remote.

“Want to watch the nature channel? I’m pretty sure Shark Week just started.” Pyrrha looked over grateful for the new distraction. She smiled at the suggestion.

“That actually sounds lovely.” He nodded and switched the television on, the two silently watching a documentary about shark Grimm while the hours ticked by.

XxxxxxxxxX

Jaune awoke with a groan, followed by a strong slap to the back of the head. He was lying face down on a hard surface in an odd smelling place. He quickly shot up thinking danger was near, only to find two familiar faces looking down at him.

“Oh, it’s just you two.” He flopped back onto the table no longer worried.

“Really? We saved you AND your humans and that’s all you can say?” Soriel scoffed.

“When the world stops sucking I’ll thank you both properly.” He waved her off, trying to calm his headache. Damn she was loud, and he felt completely drained. Raguel just giggled and took a seat on a chair next to him. “Where are my humans anyway?” He questioned. If they were here or at Beacon then he wouldn’t need to be concerned. He remembered her mentioning they were safe at least.

“Well, if I remember their names correctly, Ruby and Nora were taken back to Beacon, Ren and Pyrrha fell asleep in the other room, and the green haired man is dead.” That got his attention. Jaune immediately sat up and glared at her.

“Are you sure? Doctor Oobleck has passed?”

“I’m afraid so.” She answered. “Soriel tried to help, but there isn’t much we can do when the soul has already been shredded. You know that already.” gestured to the shattered halo around his neck. He knew she was right, but he didn’t like knowing how badly he failed.

“This was a disaster.” Jaune breathed rubbing forehead tiredly.

“It wasn’t all bad. Your actions saved a lot of civilians from death. And the Grimm never managed to enter the city thanks your tunnel collapse. From what we’ve gathered that’s why the White Fang was stealing dust, to create breaches in the tunnel for the Grimm to enter the city.”

“Though one of the Beacon Professors was killed for my weakness.” He mumbled. “I shouldn’t have gotten my humans involved.”

“Well maybe if you weren’t running around only partially together you’d have done better.” Soriel argued grabbing his hand with Beelzebul’s seal.

“He was far more helpful than you’d ever be, and he doesn’t backsass me either.” Jaune growled. With more of his power active he currently couldn’t feel the pain from his missing organs. It never occurred to him beforehand that pain from the trade would even be something to worry about in a weakened state. It was a hindrance as well as a blessing, but he wouldn’t let the smug bitch know that.

“Honestly why do you even bother with this ‘trading’ shit? It’s not like they could do anything if you demanded their power to begin with.”

“Well, when the Devil treats his demons with more respect than some of the Angels do humans, then you know there is a problem,” he answered her. Soriel narrowed her eyes at him trying to call a potential bluff, but the blonde wasn’t willing to give in.

“... you do it just to spite Michael don’t you?”

“... I’m not going to confirm anything.” Jaune continued remembering some choice comments his fellow Angel made regarding his monsters. Soriel didn’t need to know she was right. “The demons were really glad to have bargaining rights though so I kept it in place. It even stopped them from slaughtering each other. So why would I jeopardize a working system exactly?”

“Well they are pretty notorious for making deals.” Raguel smiled at their antics.

“At least one of you gets it.” He sighed, bringing his wrist to his mouth. The blonde whispered a small prayer and the deal with Beelzebul dispelled. His lung and kidney reformed in his body and he took in a sharp inhale upon their return. This would be nice when he had to cut his wings again.

“Treating such vile creatures with respect. That’s one thing I’ve never understood about you.” Soriel shook her head.

“I guess you’ll just need to stay in the dark then.” Jaune rolled his eyes. His demons loved his rule, that’s why he was so good at keeping them in line. Their cooperation was far more valuable than them fighting constantly, and if Soriel couldn’t understand that it was just further proof of her nativity.

“You know that fight should have been an easy win for you.” Raguel added, her face growing serious. “I know with your soul being split that your powers are weakened. Still, it shouldn’t have been that close. Uriel I could understand, but you two aren’t in the same league as the rest of us.” Jaune looked away biting his lip. This was not a topic he wanted to discuss. “Does it have to do with your humans?”

“Are you threatening them?” The blonde’s eyes flashed yellowed as he glared dangerously at her.

“No. I just want to know why.”

“Maybe it’s because he’s so mellow.” Soriel grinned. “Where was all of the intent to kill them? I bet he’d rather make flower crowns then fight back.”

Jaune was about to retort before genuinely thinking on her response. When was the last time he actually initiated combat? It wasn’t when the Arc sisters were threatened. It took him getting shot and that man attacking them for him to act. He hadn’t attacked first in the battle during initiation, or any of the sparring matches in classes. Hell, he didn’t even attack earlier when his friends were being attacked by Raphael. He immediately went on the defensive, not even trying to fight back until there were no options left.

Why?

When whole he would try to use deception and more underhanded tactics when tempting humans, though he wasn’t averse to violence either. His old self would have ripped Raphael to shreds before that trap of his was even set. Was… was all of his killing intent really with his other half?

No, he knew he felt it when fighting Azrael earlier, that was for certain. There was more power running through his body then he’d managed to access previously in this world combined. So why wasn’t he feeling it the other times his humans were threatened? Was the snake more connected than he thought? Or was this something else-

”Lucifer? Heaven to Lucifer.” Raguel waved her hand in front of his face snapping him out of his thoughts. The Archangel frowned while Soriel was coming to a horrible realization.

“Wait, I was right? You can’t be serious?!”

“Calm down Soriel-“

“I will not!” The Angel in red snapped back at her superior. “His soul isn’t even split In half, it’s more like a one to four ratio! You know we took a huge risk doing this! We thought with Lucifer himself on our side we could convince the other to talk to us! And now we’re all doomed because this moron won’t act on his old instincts!”

“Kind of hard to act when I can’t feel them to begin with.” Jaune murmured scratching the back of his head. Soriel didn’t like that answer, grabbing his shoulders and shaking him violently.

“How the hell did the weaker part of your soul get to be in charge?!”

“I don’t know! I just woke up in a strange house with a bunch of humans. I don’t know what happened before that!”

“BULLSHIT! You’re doing this just to screw with me!”

“If you wish to leave Soriel you may.” Raguel interrupted, looking to her partner solemnly. “I was the one that directly stood again Raphael, while you merely moved a few humans out of the tunnel. They would probably allow you to live if you leave us.” Soriel looked between her and Jaune before scowling and releasing his shoulders.

“I can’t leave you alone. I owe you too much for that.”

“You sure? Because at this point things are looking very bleak.” Jaune questioned, seeing that snake appearing on one of the countertops. It was smirking at him, knowing what would need to happen if the blonde wanted any chance of fighting off the other Angels. He bit his lip and tried to ignore it.

“Shut up!” She slapped his face before turning away. “I don’t care about you! But I won’t leave Raguel. If she chooses to fight then I won’t leave her side.”

“That’s great to hear, especially since I’ll need your help with something later.” Raguel smiled.

“Wait, what sort of thing?”

“We shall worry about it later. Now we need to focus on the eavesdropping humans. Isn’t that right you two?” Jaune could hear Pyrrha make a high pitched noise at being caught, but her and Ren both stepped into the doorway awkwardly.

Great.

“I’m… glad to see you are both alive.” Jaune said awkwardly afraid of how much they heard.

“We can’t say the same for Doctor Oobleck.” Ren murmored only for Pyrrha to elbow him hard.

“I’m glad to see you’re awake.” She looked to the patch on his stomach and frowned.

“Don’t worry about it. It’ll heal on its own.” Jaune grinned tightly while covering the bandage with his hand. “So… how much did you hear?”

“Well… everything after Miltia started yelling.” Pyrrha looked off to the side clutching her arm. “It’s hard to sleep through a screaming match.”

“My apologies.” The Angel in red said still clearly mad. “It’s hard to keep calm when SOMEBODY has doomed us all to die horribly. I hope neither of you had things you needed to get done before death, because that will be coming-“

“Shut up!” Jaune growled yanking her back. She spun around summoning several glowing stakes while the blonde increased the gravity in their immediate area.

“So this was another thing you were keeping from us?” Ren stated dryly prompting both Angels to look his way. “When were you planning to tell us that your soul is split?”

“To be fair it wasn’t that I was keeping it a secret.” Jaune scratched the back of his head timidly. “It’s more so that… I forgot to bring it up.”

“That doesn’t make it better.” Ren growled. Jaune flinched and looked away.

“I’m sorry…. I’m really bad at this communication thing.”

“You’ve made that pretty clear today already.” Ren grumbled. Pyrrha placed a warning hand on his shoulder before clearing her own throat trying to word her thoughts more kindly.

“We just want to know what’s going on. You clearly aren’t the only target to them, and whether you like it or not they will probably threaten us again.”

“Yeah… I know that.” Jaune rubbed his face tiredly. “Honestly I’m pretty confused on some of the details myself. Like the entire situation right before I woke up here.” Ren still looked livid while Pyrrha was doing her best to appear calm. He could read the distress all over her soul though. Jaune was making things worse again, and it hadn’t even been forty-eight hours since the dance.

“Perhaps I could assist with that.” Jaune looked over at Raguel questioningly. “On the condition you take care of that ‘pet’ of yours hanging around Mount Glenn.” He quirked his brow in confusion.

“What the heck are you talking about-“

“We have company.” Soriel murmured, interrupting Raguel. Jaune turned his head in time to see the souls of Blake, Sun and Neptune sneaking around the area. They were gradually making their way closer. Ren and Pyrrha both assumed battle stances with their damaged weapons, though they both appeared fearful at the prospect.

Shit.

“Yes, I sensed their approach but hoped they’d skip this building entirely. Apparently not. Two of them were at the mall the other day. Do you know the third one?”

“I do.” Jaune stated tightly. “It’s Blake, Neptune and Sun.” That prompted his teammates to lower their weapons and look to him confused. With two of the ones approaching them being Faunus who knew what their reaction would be at seeing the three Angels together, especially with his own wings out.

“Should I hunt them down?” Soriel asked her superior. “Raphael already broke the rules.”

“No you will not.” Jaune growled.

“I wasn’t going to kill them, just knock them all unconscious. Maybe a few broken bones, nothing major.”

“Still, no.” The two glared at each other until Soriel rolled her eyes and crossed her arms shrugging.

“Very well, but you’ll owe us big time for when they find this place.”

“They are going to call on backup. This safehouse is compromised.” Raguel sighed.

“That’s a good thing though, we can return to the school.” Pyrrha rationalized.

“Did you forget that all of you are willing hanging out with monsters? That won’t go over well, especially for a ‘champion’ like you.” Soriel grinned at the red head’s distress.

“Well it would be weird if they stormed the house finding three missing Beacon students just lounging around the place. You may be expelled for fraternizing with mobsters.” Soriel commented.

Jaune scratched his chin thoughtfully. There may be a way for his humans to avoid such punishment, if they cooperated at least. “Though I think I have a plan.”

“Care to elaborate.” Soriel raised her brow at him. Jaune just sighed and looked back towards his humans.

“Alright guys, here’s the plan.”

XxxxxxxxxX

The giant gears in his office slowly turned as time moved forward. Headmaster Ozpin sat underneath them at his desk trying to subdue the headache this whole situation was causing him. One of his friends and colleagues was dead, and several students were still missing. This included his next candidate for Fall’s powers. Everything was falling apart again and it never got any easier. He looked down at the reports coming in regarding the Near Breach from that morning. He was also still waiting on the interviews with Ms. Rose and Ms. Valkyrie. They had to have some clues indicating the responsible party for his friends death. He had a hard time believing Bartholomew Oobleck would die to some mere White Fang thugs or the standard Beowolf. Someone, or something very strong was behind his death and he didn’t like the implications. Would it really be safe to host the tournament in a few weeks? He wasn’t sure anymore.

The elevator door opened and the familiar clacking of heels preceded the familiar figure of his right hand assistant.

“Ozpin.”

“Yes Ms. Goodwitch?” Ozpin asked at his colleagues approach. He sipped some coffee while rummaging through the reports still flooding his inbox,

“I thought you’d like to know that the missing members of team JNPR have been found alive.”

“Have they now?” Ozpin closed the files he was reading genuinely happy to hear his students were safe. They only had one casualty to deal with then.

“Yes. It appears that the students Blake Belladonna, Sun Wukong and Neptune Vasillas discovered them while searching the Shipping District. The bullheads carrying them will be arriving shortly.”

“This is excellent news indeed.” Ozpin sighed. Thank the Gods for that at least. “What details have been gathered so far?” Glynda forwarded several files of information that have been compiled in the last hour.

“It appears that several very powerful White Fang members managed to capture the three and held them hostage until help arrived.” He motioned for her to continue while reflecting on her words. That was certainly a surprise, especially with Ms. Nikos on their team. They must have been faced with trained huntsmen rather than the average thug. “All three of them were in rough shape, but there was a disturbing report regarding Mr. Jaune Arc.”

“How so?”

“Well, aside for surviving for several hours with a golf ball sized hole through his torso, it appears that he is… or was a Faunus.” That really got his attention.

“What do you mean?”

“It seems that at one point he had bird wings, and the medics believe they were removed recently.” Ozpin's hands tightened around his coffee mug. It’s been years since he last heard of a Faunus getting their features cropped off, and the most recent incidents were hate crimes that were severely punished. This meant one of his students was brutally maimed by his own kind. But why would they do that?

“Are you sure the White Fang was responsible?”

“We aren’t certain, but the evidence would make them the most likely culprits. Their organization was already swarming the old tunnels. There is also the possibility that they were… reopening old scars.” She bit her lip clearly disturbed by the mere suggestion. “I’ve never seen any indication of Mr. Arc having wings to begin with. He was the young man wearing a strapless dress to the dance if I recall correctly. There was no possible way for him to hide them there.”

“So it’s believed these White Fang members brutally tortured a student that had already had his wings cut off.”

“That is my belief at least,” Glynda rubbed her temples. “This is madness Ozpin. First they kill Bart, capture three of our students and torture one of them. I don’t understand the reason. And why was team JNPR in the tunnels to begin with?” That was a good question, thought Ozpin. Ms. Rose said they helped flip the train before it collided with the wall, but how did they know to be there to help? They skipped out on their mission, and caused a great deal of panic.

The elevator door open once again, a familiar caped figure with poor posture waltzing into the office.

“Qrow? Weren’t you supposed to be on a mission in Mistral?” Glynda asked surprised to see him back so soon.

“Indeed. I wasn’t expecting you back for another few weeks.” Ozpin commented equally surprised. The man hadn’t even notified them that he’d be returning.

“I finished it up quicker than expected. Besides, I’m not going to take my time traveling back when my niece is declared missing.” He growled looking at the two accusingly. “She was missing and neither of you notified me.”

“We thought the news could be detrimental to your mission.” Glynda stated adjusting her glasses. “It was safer to hold off until we knew for sure what her condition was.”

“She has also been recovered safely for several hours now, so there is no need for you to worry.” Ozpin added. Qrow seemed to ponder something before coming back with another question.

“I noticed that another Beacon team was also missing. Has any new come in about them?”

“We were just discussing that.” Ms. Goodwitch answered. “They should be arriving any moment now. Thankfully all of them have been found alive.”

“That’s… good to hear.” Qrow pulled out his flask and took a long swigg from it. Ozpin sighed trying to determine how best to break the news about Oobleck.

“Qrow. Today we lost one of our allies. Bartholomew fell in battle.” He stopped drinking and looked to his superior.

“That’s unfortunate… Any idea who did it?”

“An autopsy has yet to be performed. Sadly we don’t know much about what happened. Hopefully interviewing the students involved will shed some light on the subject.”

“Alright then.” Qrow turned back to the elevator and made to leave.

“Where are you going?” Ozpin questioned.

“I’m going to see my niece. What’s it look like?”

“Perhaps you should wait for the students to recover a bit? It’s been a rough day for everyone involved.” Glynda commented.

“Indeed. I was also hoping you could check with Ironwood about the investigation. See if they’ve discovered anything else in Mount Glenn.”

“Can’t he call you? You don’t need me there.”

“Perhaps, Though I would like to get your view on the whole situation. You do tend to think differently from most people I know.” Qrows eyes seemed to flash green for a moment before he scoffed.

“Fine, I’ll run your little errand, but afterwards I’m checking on my girls.” He walked towards an open window, leaping from it and transforming into a crow. He took off in the direction of Mount Glenn, leaving Glynda and Ozpin alone in the office.

“You seem worried Ozpin.” Glynda commented at the frown he clearly had.

“I just have a bad feeling about all of this.” He answered. “I fear if things aren’t sorted out soon, we’ll have quite the catastrophe on our hands.” Glynda nodded in agreement.

“Hopefully it won’t come to that.”

“Yes, hopefully it won’t.”

XxxxxxxxxX

“Did we do good or what!” Sun said proudly to everyone in the room. “We set out to find our friends and that’s exactly what we did.”

“I will admit, the three of you did rather well.” Weiss complimented.

“It’s what we Junior Detectives do after all.” Neptune held his badge up and smiled coyly. The heiress giggled at his goofy behavior while Blake only shook her head.

“How are you feeling Pyrrha?” The champion jumped at hearing Ruby’s voice. She looked up from her seat to see the concerned reaper

“I-I’ll be alright.” She smiled tightly. Pyrrha was currently seated next to her unconscious partner in the recovery room of the infirmary. She was rubbing the temporary brace placed around her neck, watching everyone interact. Weiss had her arm in a sling still, apparently suffering a buckle fracture in the train crash that morning. Nora was seated in a bed with her leg in a cast. Ren was sitting in the chair next to her, the two still holding hands after finally reuniting. Sun and Neptune had been recounting their “rescue mission” to everyone that would listen. Honestly Pyrrha still couldn’t believe Jaune’s plan had worked. The twins had tied her and Ren together and thrown them into a closet while they hid Jaune separately so they could dispose of his wings. They left by the time the house was searched, and it didn’t take long for Sun to call in their location. As far as everyone knows they were held against their will by some very strong criminals, and as long as they could keep the story straight they shouldn’t have too many issues.

“Ummmm, Pyrrha?” The red head jolted again already forgetting Ruby was watching her. She looked even more concerned now.

“I’m sorry.” She sighed defeated. “It’s been a really long day.”

“So, what exactly happened back there? You two were gone and Dr. Oobleck-“ The girl stoped herself at mentioning their deceased professor. Pyrrha winced at the memory too but tried to smile reassuringly.

“I’ll tell you later. Now isn’t the place.” The reaper nodded as Yang rushed into the room. She tackled her sister in another bear hug, one of many that she’d suffered through since coming back to Beacon.

“Dad’s here. Are you ready to explain why you worried him for several hours?”

“It wasn’t my fault! And I’m fine now!” The younger sister huffed. Yang smiled and dragged her sister out by the arm.

“Bye everyone. We’ll stop back later tonight.” Everyone waved them off as Ruby gave Pyrrha another worried glance. She was out the door before the champion could respond. She sighed, glancing towards the window. A crow with glowing red eyes was watching the group, and their eyes locked momentarily. Pyrrha looked away quickly remembering yesterday morning, standing up and quickly shutting the curtains.

“Is something wrong Pyrrha?” Blake asked noticing her odd behavior.

“Everything is okay. I just wanted to get some rest is all.” Blake gave her an odd look before glancing at her unconscious partner. Jaune had passed out on the bullhead ride back, once the severance from his power finally overwhelmed him. Unfortunately he couldn’t refuse treatment anymore and the doctors wouldn’t respect his wishes. They had been shocked that he was still alive with the severity of his stomach wound, but Pyrrha knew better. They also thought he was of Faunus heritage too, but that was something for another time.

She blinked remembering Blake was still watching her. “I’m sorry. I’ll just lie down now.” She turned away from the cat Faunus and quickly lay down on the bed next to Jaune. She rolled on her side so she could watch Jaune sleep . She couldn’t handle all of this deception and lies much longer, and she knew Ren was past his breaking point. If they didn’t change something then it’s likely they’d all end up dead pretty soon.

She just hoped Jaune would understand that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooo it’s almost been two months. Sorry about that, but this chapter was giving me a lot of grief. After several rewrites it is finally here, and hopefully the chapter after this won’t take to long. I just really needed a transition chapter into the next arc. I’m aware some things might not make the most sense/need a better explanation. Hopefully I can do better next chapter.
> 
> Thank you to Maldevinine for beta reading this chapter. Seriously folks you al need to check his stories out they are amazing


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